Graham Norton has hit back at comments made by John Cleese about ‘cancel culture’ on the BBC.
The chat show host argued free speech should not be “consequence free” - and people should be held accountable for what they say.
It comes after Monty Python star John announced he had landed a new TV and radio show on GB News.
Revealing his new appointment, the 82-year-old comedy legend went on to say he would never do a show for the BBC because he would be ‘cancelled in the first five minutes'.
Reacting to his comments, BBC star Graham told Times Radio: “It must be very hard to be a man of a certain age, who’s been able to say whatever you like for years, to know there is some accountability.”
Get all the biggest showbiz news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror Showbiz newsletter.
The Eurovision host explained his point further during a chat with Mariella Frostrup at the Cheltenham Literature Festival earlier this week.
He said: “You read a lot of articles in papers by people complaining about cancel culture and you think, in what world are you cancelled?
“I’m reading your article in a newspaper, or you’re doing interviews about how terrible it is to be cancelled.”
Graham added: “I think the word is the wrong word. I think the word should be accountability.
“John Cleese has been very public recently about complaining about what you can say... it’s free speech, but not consequence free.”
John said he had “pretty much given up” on British TV before GB News approached him – and admitted he didn’t know who they were at the time.
Explaining why he chose to do a new show with them, he said: “I was approached and I didn't know who they were.
"And I don't know much about modern television because I've pretty much given up on it…and then I met one or two of the people concerned and had dinner with them and I liked them very much.
“It's a free speech channel and I am working with a young fellow, Andrew Doyle, who's a stand up comic."
But he joked the GB News audience won't be familiar with things he will be talking about.
He said: “The nice thing about talking to the GB News audience is that they may not be used to hearing the sort of things I'll be saying.
"I mean, the BBC have not come to me and said ‘would you like to have some time on our shows’.
“And if they did I would say ‘not on your nelly’, because I wouldn't get five minutes into the first show before I'd been cancelled or censored!"
The Mirror has contacted John’s reps for comment.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033
