As a talkshow host and former presenter of Blankety Blank, Paul O'Grady makes for an unlikely leader of a revolution. But O'Grady gave the government both barrels on his live ITV1 show on Friday, labelling the coalition "bastards" for its programme of spending cuts. "Talking of nits – George Osborne, what do we think?" he asked his studio audience. "I'd sooner have Ozzy Osbourne as chancellor. At least with Ozzy the only cuts would be the f-ing and blinding from his speech. Do you know what got my back up? Those Tories hooping and hollering when they heard about the cuts. Gonna scrap the pensions – yeah! – no more wheelchairs – yeah! Bastards. I do apologise for the language, that just fell out. I bet when they were children they laughed in Bambi when his mother got shot." Warming to his theme, O'Grady slipped into an old music hall song – "It's the same the whole world over, it's the poor what gets the blame" – and suggested viewers take to the streets "in our fight against oppression". It's enough to give the BBC compliance types a funny turn. ITV can rest a bit easier, but it might find those contract rights renewal negotiations a bit tougher next time round.

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