Rob Burley rebuts criticism of Politics Live for being ‘gimmicky’ and too PC

The editor of a new BBC lunchtime political discussion programme, Politics Live, has defended the selection of an all-female panel for its first episode.

Rob Burley, who also has responsibility for This Week and The Andrew Marr Show, hit back at online critics of the panel selection, saying he had “zero shame” at the fact that the panel featured five women.

“We invited people and they said yes and then we realised our best line-up was all female,” he wrote on Twitter after the first episode aired on Monday.

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The BBC2 show, an attempt to revive the daily television political programme, replaces the long-running Daily Politics. It will be hosted by Jo Coburn four days a week. Andrew Neil will host a weekly extended Politics Live edition centred around prime minister’s questions once a week.

The first episode on Monday was hosted by Coburn and featured MPs Emily Thornberry and Amber Rudd, as well as three female journalists: the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg, the Guardian’s joint political editor Anushka Asthana and the Daily Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey.

Some took umbrage with the panel, saying it was “gimmicky”, too PC, or comparing it to the chat show Loose Women.

Burley mocked those who said the choice of female panellists was a stunt, rather than simply the result of booking the best guests available.

“Banged to rights on that panel today. Just focused on booking women. Any one would do. Ended up with the Shadow Foreign Secretary, a former Home Secretary, the co-Political Editor of the Guardian, an associate Editor of the Daily Telegraph and the BBC’s Political Editor. Sad!” he wrote.

Coburn told the Guardian ahead of the launch that the show aims to be “more discursive and conversational” than traditional political shows in recognition that there is “a more diverse range of people” interested in politics.

Former Labour politician Sarah Hayward called the all-women panel “fantastic”, writing on Twitter: “We’re 15 min in to Newsnight and the four speakers have all been white men. Still a way to go...”

Others pointed out there was an irony that men were suddenly furious about equal representation on panels – an issue women have been campaigning on for a long time.

Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) Very much enjoying the sheer fury of men suddenly discovering they care about equal gender representation on television discussion panels. #politicslive pic.twitter.com/VHmm7En4R3

Geri Scott (@Geri_E_L_Scott) Hours late to this but really enjoying all the men who suddenly care about equal panel representation after an all-woman line up on #politicslive pic.twitter.com/GLaB2tGUrx

Burley said he was sure “those blokes on my timeline incensed about the all-female panel on Politics Live really hated Top Gear”.