GB News Guest Michael Crick Kicked During Live Debate On Censorship After He Criticised Network’s Right-Wing Bias
GB News producers kicked guest Michael Crick out of the studio on Saturday during a live segment on freedom of speech after he criticised the channel’s “right-wing” leanings and hiring of politicians.
Journalist Crick appeared on Neil Oliver Live as a guest alongside podcaster and former London mayoral candidate Brian Rose as well as journalist Laura Dodsworth.
The overall conversation was focused on cancel culture and censorship, an oft covered topic on the channel that proudly calls itself “the home of free speech”, with Rose discussing how YouTube removed his channel in September. Crick was brought on as an additional guest later in the interview. After Crick criticising Rose, Oliver turned a question to Crick.
“Now you talk about being broadly wary of censorship,” Oliver said. “Now, on this channel, on GB News, in the company of [GB News host] Michelle Dewberry, you said that you thought GB News ought to be shut down. Now, that would appear you’re biased…”
Crick responded: “That’s because you’re right wing. You’re basically, I mean, I’ve been fighting bias in television for a very long time. One of the reasons I left Channel Four News because I thought it was left-wing biased and I think [media watchdog] Ofcom, who are one of the weakest institutions on the planet, should get a grip on you lot. It’s absurd that you have Tory MP after Tory MP, after Tory MP. Two leaders of the Brexit Party and hardly any Labour MPs. You are a right wing channel and the rules in this country are very clear.”
Oliver countered, suggesting that GB News is inclusive of diverse perspectives: “I don’t think you can deny that the channel has made space for all kinds of voices left, right…”
However, Crick maintained his critique, pointing to the network’s choice in hosts: “They’re predominantly on the right. I mean, look at, you know, when Nigel Farage takes the week off, who replaces him?”
As Oliver attempted to segue into a commercial break, Crick continued his criticism: “…who replaces him? the leader and the leader of the Brexit Reform UK. There were 67 million people in this country. You choose to replace Farage with his successor as Brexit Party leader.”
Oliver interjected, signalling for a commercial break: “We’re going into a break. Bear with us.”
Crick persisted, listing GB News hosts Jacob Ress-Mogg and Phil Davies, both sitting Conservative MPs, as more examples before being cut off.
Upon return, Oliver, and outspoken critic of censorship, clearly at odds with the decision to remove Crick from the studio, expressed his disappointment.
He said: “Welcome back to Neil Oliver Live. I will say right now, without any input from anywhere else, that I am very disappointed about the sequence of events that just unfolded there. The last thing I want to see during a conversation between grown-ups about censorship is that conversation being brought abruptly to a close by others. I feel that that conversation should have gone on to its conclusion, but there we go, that’s the situation in which I found myself, but I make no bones about it. I don’t stand by censorship. Okay, something completely different…”
Oliver then proceeded to another topic.
In a thread posted to X, shortly after the incident, Crick explained that after Oliver called the commercial break, a producer entered the studio and pointed at him, saying: “You, out!”
LBC host James O’Brien called the incident a “stone cold resignation issue” in a post of his own and a “blatant example of censorship.”
An Ofcom investigation into GB News concluding in October found the channel was found guilty of breaching impartiality guidelines during a show hosted by ex-Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney, when he interviewed Reform Party leader Richard Tice.
Ofcom currently has 12 investigations open on GB News.
