A journalist claimed Laurence Fox wouldn’t have turned to extremism if he’d been playing Macbeth at the National Theatre
The row over suspended GB News presenter and head of the Reclaim Party, Laurence Fox, has been a huge talking point over the past 24 hours, even making it onto BBC’s main news bulletins and its lunchtime political magazine, Politics Live.
Journalist Tim Stanley had a hot take on why the former actor and would-be singer has ended up courting controversy on GB News.
"Money drives this sort of extremism"
"If Laurence Fox were appearing in Macbeth in the National Theatre, he wouldn't be on GB News… he's doing it because he's been driven out of the mainstream," The Daily Telegraph's Tim Stanley tells #PoliticsLive https://t.co/nXFY4VnWYV pic.twitter.com/gzIsPUlxg6
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 27, 2023
We didn’t have uber-Catholic Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley saying ‘slagging off’ on the BBC on our bingo cards, yet here we are.
People spotted a couple of problems with Stanley’s theory, and these comments well and truly outline them.
1.
Because the BBC cancelled the Mash Report I am sorry to say that I have now joined the KKK https://t.co/xcQmXIEGJj
— Nish Kumar (@MrNishKumar) September 27, 2023
2.
You have to let people be in Macbeth at the National Theatre otherwise you’re culpable https://t.co/LMaETyIIuf
— Hannah Rose Woods (@hannahrosewoods) September 27, 2023
3.
if he was in Macbeth at the National it would mean every actor in the country had been kidnapped https://t.co/R841MoO3bI
— Toby Earle Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) September 27, 2023
4.
Ah yes, because the big money is in theatre! https://t.co/4amBrTRS7N
— Greg Jenner (@greg_jenner) September 27, 2023
5.
Man in “faces consequences of actions” shock https://t.co/b28Kel55Ga
— Red Sky At Night (@redskyatnight) September 27, 2023
6.
Blimey, what an utterly bonkers remark. Perhaps from now on the National Theatre should give leading Shakespearean parts to any idiot to prevent them otherwise causing huge offence on television. And BBC Today should give Tim Stanley a new slot "Nutty Thought for the Day" https://t.co/NK82ou6SBV
— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) September 27, 2023
7.
I suspect the reason Laurence Fox isn't appearing in Macbeth at the National Theatre has much more to do with his competence as an actor than it does his controversial opinions. Other actors with controversial opinions have successful stage careers. https://t.co/kGVgvM6qHP
— Frances 'Cassandra' Coppola (@Frances_Coppola) September 27, 2023
8.
A new approach to casting. “Right, you better give me Lopakhin and Malvolio next season, or I shall be forced to start a far right party, and become a misogynist.” ~AA https://t.co/xoNNFLnDU7
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) September 27, 2023
9.
ON WHAT CHARGE? Not playing Macbeth at the National Theatre? Not playing Macbeth at the succulent National Theatre???
— Gee Aitch Cee (@Scriblit) September 27, 2023
10.
He drove himself out. https://t.co/a2cDOMgOG6
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) September 27, 2023
11.
"If you don't cast men in Macbeth in the National Theatre you will turn them into virulent misogynists" is a hell of a take. https://t.co/FRowxdFQDK
— Sarah Churchwell (@sarahchurchwell) September 27, 2023
12.
If Laurence Fox were appearing in Macbeth in the National Theatre… I'd presume Equity were on strike. https://t.co/FEiHSDU5bE
— HENRY MORRIS (@secrettory12) September 27, 2023
13.
Poor Fox, he has been driven out of the mainstream through no fault of his own pic.twitter.com/A5FAUXnl1F
— LEFTAKE (@thelefttake) September 27, 2023
14.
“Driven out of the mainstream…”
Fox didn’t play Inspector Morse’s Sidekick…he played Inspector Morse’s Sidekick’s Sidekick…was about as much chance of him playing Macbeth at The National as the bloke in the Go Compare ads. https://t.co/eoXlfQn09N
— Tom Jamieson (@jamiesont) September 27, 2023
James O’Brien had advice on how to improve the standard of discourse on Politics Live.
This weirdo has a cameo in ‘How They Broke Britain’. The BBC really needs to wake up to the fact that writing comment pieces for the Telegraph hasn’t been a mark of intelligence, relevance or salience for some time now. Just stop booking them. https://t.co/RAOPSHf7um
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) September 27, 2023
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Source BBC Politics Image Screengrab, Screengrab
