GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTY IN YOUR INBOX Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The BBC said it pulled Friday night's episode of Have I Got News For You because of the forthcoming European elections. A statement on the show's official Facebook page said: “Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY – no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. “We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry.” Allen is a member of The Independent Group in Parliament, which has launched the political party Change UK which is contesting the European elections on Thursday, May 23. There are strict rules governing TV in the run-up to elections. The programme was due to go out at 9pm and was replaced by an episode of Would I Lie To You. A BBC spokesperson said in a statement to the press: "The BBC has specific editorial guidelines that apply during election periods. "Because of this it would be inappropriate to feature political party leaders on entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved. "So we will not broadcast the scheduled episode of HIGNFY featuring Heidi Allen, leader of Change UK. "We will look to broadcast this episode at a later date." Radio presenter Danny Baker was fired from BBC Radio 5 Live after posting a tweet regarding the royal baby, comparing the infant to a chimpanzee. Heidi Allen is a former Conservative MP who resigned to join The Independent Group, which is made up of former anti-Brexit Tory and Labour politicians who are campaigning for a second EU referendum. It is only a couple of weeks since Have I Got News For You featured our tongue-in-cheek story about a bent pole in Gloucester Docks. While previous episodes have also made reference to GCHQ (fluffing a joke about the intelligence gathering HQ and Greggs) and guest host Frankie Boyle once had something to say about Forest Green Rovers. Viewers expressed their surprise on twitter, with many wondering why no-one in the production staff twigged the election was on.<doc-sep>If you're wondering why Have I Got News For You wasn't on tonight (May 10), we've got the answer for you. The panel show usually airs Friday nights at 9pm, but BBC One decided to pull tonight's from broadcast only minutes before it was scheduled to air and replaced it with fellow panel series Would I Lie to You?. The programme's official Twitter account explained that the BBC cancelled the episode over impartiality fears ahead of the now-confirmed looming European elections on May 23 as Heidi Allen, the interim leader of Change UK, was one of the guests. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY - no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry. — Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) May 10, 2019 In a tweet posted 21 minutes before its 9pm time slot, the show said: "Sorry everyone. "The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of#HIGNFY – no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. "We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry." Still, Heidi herself questioned on Twitter: "What have I done?!" This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. What have I done......?! pic.twitter.com/7AtrUf25gG — Heidi Allen (@heidiallen75) May 9, 2019 The episode was presented by Jo Brand and recorded the day before. However, some viewers have questioned the decision to pull it given that BBC One aired an episode of Question Time featuring the Brexit Party's leader Nigel Farage only last night (May 9). In a now-deleted tweet, Pointless host Richard Osman explained that the laws around giving each political party equal time can be tricky for comedy shows to deal with. David M. Benett / Contributor Getty Images Osman wrote: "Regarding cancellation of tonight's #HIGNFY because of Heidi Allen. Incorrect decision though I think it is, comedy shows find impartiality and 'equal screen-time' laws far trickier than news programmes in the lead-up to all elections. Always been that way, if that's of interest. "I have absolutely no knowledge of what went on in this case though, I just thought that might be interesting to people." So, Have I Got News For You (probably) returns next Friday (May 17) at 9pm on BBC One. Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get all the latest politics news via email updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The latest episode of Have I Got News For You was pulled by the BBC shortly before it was due to air because the show had booked Change UK leader Heidi Allen. In a tweet, the show apologised to viewers and said that the programme would not air at 9pm on Friday. A BBC statement said: "The BBC has specific editorial guidelines that apply during election periods. "Because of this it would be inappropriate to feature political party leaders on entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved. "So we will not broadcast the scheduled episode of HIGNFY featuring Heidi Allen, leader of Change UK. "We will look to broadcast this episode at a later date." Heidi Allen MP resigned from the Conservative Party to join the newly formed Independent Group in February 2019. She was made the interim leader of the group. After joining in February, she was made leader of the group which is now known as Change UK. She was given the position in March. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Half an hour earlier, the official account of the BBC series confirmed the episode would not air. They went on to state the channel had pulled the episode before it went to air, while suggesting the axe was due to the looming Euro elections. The tweet read: “Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY - no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. “We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry.”<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox Producers were forced to pull the plug on the show after it included Change UK leader Heidi Allen as one of its guests, who is currently running in the European Elections. Rules state that politicians seeking election cannot be broadcasted during certain periods before the ballot, unless balance is provided. Twitter went into meltdown after the show was canned. The show said on the social media platform: “Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of HIGNFY - no, we didn’t book Danny Baker. “We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry.” The show’s pulling comes after Brexit Party leader has appeared on the show, leading Ms Allen to condemn the BBC. She said: “Maybe I'm just not as funny as Nigel Farage eh #hignfy @haveigotnews!? He's so funny, he seems to be on the BBC all the time! READ MORE: Brexiteer RIDICULES Change UK 'shambles' - 'Feel SORRY for them'<doc-sep>
Friday's episode of Have I Got News For You was pulled moments before it was due to air over fears it would breach election impartiality rules. The BBC said the decision was taken because it was "inappropriate" to have Change UK leader Heidi Allen as a guest on the comedy quiz show ahead of the European elections. In a tweet just 20 minutes before the programme was due to air on BBC One, Have I Got News For You's official account said: "Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight's edition of #HIGNFY - no, we didn't book Danny Baker. "We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry." Image: Ian Hislop is a panellist on Have I Got News For You The BBC said the episode, featuring regular panellists Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, will be broadcast "at a later date". European Parliament elections will take place in the UK on 23 May. Ms Allen, who left the Conservative Party earlier this year to join Change UK, said an explanation on the BBC's decision was needed. The MP for South Cambridgeshire tweeted: "Maybe I'm just not as funny as Nigel Farage eh #hignfy @haveigotnews !? He's so funny, he seems to be on the BBC all the time! "An explanation would be appreciated, not least to acknowledge the hard work of the entire crew who worked diligently to put the show together." :: Listen to the Sophy Ridge on Sunday podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker What have I done......?! pic.twitter.com/7AtrUf25gG — Heidi Allen MP (@heidiallen75) May 9, 2019 A BBC statement said: "The BBC has specific editorial guidelines that apply during election periods. "Because of this it would be inappropriate to feature political party leaders on entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved. "So we will not broadcast the scheduled episode of HIGNFY featuring Heidi Allen, leader of Change UK. We will look to broadcast this episode at a later date." :: Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Friday's episode of Have I Got News For You was replaced with Would I Lie to You?, which had been due to air afterwards.