BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News For You has sparked backlash after panellists mocked Elon Musk and Rupert Lowe during a discussion about the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
During Friday night's episode, team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton discussed the challenge facing Reform UK in the constituency, suggesting support for Mr Lowe's Restore Britain movement could split the right-wing vote.
The conversation soon turned to Tesla billionaire Mr Musk, who has previously expressed support for Mr Lowe and recently commented on reports that a black actress had been cast as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan's forthcoming adaptation of The Odyssey.
Referencing the controversy, one panellist remarked that Mr Musk had been "very upset" by the casting decision despite Helen being a fictional character.
The panellists mocked Elon Musk's reaction to casting reports surrounding Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
|BBC
The discussion then prompted a joke about the tech entrepreneur's knowledge of classical literature.
"And again, I think the suggestion that he's read The Odyssey, he's pushing it," one panellist said.
"I think the only Homer he's aware of is in The Simpsons."
The comments quickly circulated online, where some viewers accused the programme of being out of touch and dismissive.
Some viewers defended the show's satirical approach
|BBC
One critic wrote on X: "This show is now an artefact. It all seems so anachronistic. Their snobbery is so old hat. 'The richest man in the world, who is working to send man to Mars, is so stupid he can't have read The Odyssey hohoho.'"
Another added: "The latest from Have I Got News For You takes a pop at Rupert Lowe and Elon Musk. I remember when this show was the most based thing on TV. Now it's pompous posh lefties sneering down their noses at the common folk. The BBC is beyond dead and buried."
A third viewer wrote: "It's anti-humour. Sneering midwits with their noses latched to the establishment arse like a human centipede."
Others accused the panel of being detached from public opinion.
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"It's all so smug and pompous. They're all so f****** full of themselves. Could they be more out of touch?" one post read.
However, not everyone agreed with the criticism.
One social media user defended the joke, writing: "Not to mount a general defence of HIGNFY, however: given that the billionaire in question is forever trying to portray himself as a great thinker and western civilisation connoisseur, but in fact outs himself as a pig-ignorant halfwit on a daily basis, I'd say this is fair game."
The exchange came amid wider discussion about the political implications of the Makerfield by-election, with commentators debating whether support for Restore Britain could impact Reform UK's electoral prospects.
Mr Lowe launched Restore Britain after leaving Reform UK earlier this year and has since attracted backing from a number of high-profile figures, including Musk.
This is not the first time the popular BBC show has been called out perceived political bias.
In 2015, Nigel Farage and UKIP lodged a formal complaint with Kent Police against the BBC and Have I Got News For You after panellist Camilla Long joked about Mr Farage's limited appearances in South Thanet during the General Election campaign, the constituency he was contesting at the time.
The panellists also made fun of Rupert Lowe and the Restore party
| GB NEWSThe programme has also attracted criticism from Conservative supporters over its treatment of Brexit and Tory politicians, with one 2019 episode generating more than 100 complaints alleging it was "anti-Tory" and "anti-Brexit".
In 2024, former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns accused the show of having a "biased" studio audience following a heated exchange with team captain Ian Hislop.
Mr Hislop has consistently rejected claims of political bias, arguing that the satirical programme receives accusations of unfairness from whichever political party happens to be on the receiving end of its jokes.