Broadcaster Richard Madeley has done it again and riled up Good Morning Britain viewers with his candid interview style.
The GMB star co-hosted a show last week with Susana Reid, where he interviewed the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
During the segment on September 20, the broadcaster spoke about slavery and repatriations with the guest in a heated interview that received over 300 Ofcom complaints.
A total of 334 complaints were filed, according to Ofcom’s website.
Entertainment Daily has reached out to ITV for comment.
What Richard Madeley said on GMB
In the interview, Richard banged the desk and batted back the President’s points that descendants of European slave traders should offer to pay reparations to rectify historical wrongs and that the royal family also needed to be called into question.
Richard questioned: “Why should somebody who maybe had an ancestor seven or eight generations ago, long before they were a twinkle in their great-great-great grandparents’ eye, why should they have to pay now for what an ancient ancestor did?”
He added: “Or why should they apologise for what an ancestor did centuries ago? Why should they still carry that burden?”
The President replied: “Oh, it’s not a burden at all – you are one of the beneficiaries of that slave trade.
“You should be concerned, and you should pay because you, today, are still benefitting from the greatest indignity to a human being and that is the slave trade.”
When it came to the royal family, Richard hit the desk and said: “It’s about the gestures. And you think that the British Royal Family should make a big gesture, don’t you? What do you mean? Hand over a palace to your country?”
Without skipping a beat, the President answered: “Well, no, we don’t want the British to hand over a palace that we built.
Viewer reaction
The president of Guyana swats away Richard Madeleys stupid question #GMB pic.twitter.com/dPCOukB702
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) September 20, 2023
One social media user quickly shared a clip and called out the TV star. They said: “The president of Guyana swats away Richard Madeley’s stupid question #GMB.”
Another said: “This interview reeks of misplaced arrogance rooted in colonial hangover.”
A third chimed in: “Such disrespect and disdain speaking to the PRESIDENT of another country.”
Comments flooded online with statements such as “Madeley is shameful!” and “Why is Madeley so angry at him?”
Many applauded the President’s calm and collected responses.
“The anger in the presenter’s voice. The President’s response was *chefs kiss*,” an onlooker added.
One viewer said: “Well done to the President of Guyana!” while another commented: “Best ever response from the President there.”
Richard is known for his brass statements and probing questioning style. He recently revealed an awkward physical confrontation with a viewer, and fans rallied behind guest Chris Packham for shutting down the ‘patronising’ host over the summer.
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