By IANS,
London : The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been criticised after interviewing the British prime minister in his home rather than at the television channel’s studios.
Instead of travelling to the studios, Brown allowed the BBC to hold a ‘fireside chat’ at his central London home for the flagship Sunday morning programme, the Andrew Marr Show.
The decision was slammed by opposition Conservative Party MPs, who accused the BBC of “cosying up” to the British premier by moving the entire programme to No. 10 Downing Street.
“The BBC should treat Gordon Brown as it does other senior politicians by getting him into the studio to do interviews,” Tory MP Greg Hands said Sunday night.
He said it was reminiscent of the time in autumn 2007 when Brown summoned Marr, a senior British journalist, to Downing Street to reveal he would not be holding a snap general election.
Hands said the BBC should not be pandering to Brown’s “requests to only talk from the Downing Street bunker”.
“The BBC, and Andrew Marr in particular, need to be careful not to be seen to have too cosy a relationship with any senior politician or political party. This latest tete-a-tete from No. 10 raises questions in that regard.”
Sunday morning’s interview was conducted in a cosy setting, in front of an open fire in an ornate drawing room.
A Downing Street source told the Daily Mail: “As far I know, the BBC suggested doing it from Number 10.”