The One Show took an unexpected turn when guest David Walliams made a joke about Prime Minister Keir Starmer. David was on the popular evening show with his Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas and former EastEnders actress Lindsey Coulson. As hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo chatted with the TV stars about their current projects, the topic of school came up as Lindsey discussed her new role in school drama Waterloo Road.
This prompted David to reveal that he attended the same school as Keir when they were both much younger. He quipped: "I was at school with Keir Starmer, yeah. And he gave me a detention and it was Christmas time and it was really cold and he turned off the heating.". Host Alex seemed taken aback by the comment and didn't know what to say next. Laughing, David added: "I did go to the same school as Keir Starmer, but actually, we didn't meet each other.".
After a brief pause, David mentioned another famous face and said: "And Fatboy Slim was there too. Yeah, he was yeah!. "He was doing the DJing and Keir was being the Prime Minister, I was acting the giddy goat!". Trying to steer the conversation back, Alex then turned to Lindsey and said: "We are going to talk about EastEnders as well because it's 40 years of EastEnders," reports Wales Online. However, viewers who noticed the awkwardness on screen quickly took to social media site X to share their thoughts.
Viewers took to social media with reactions after David Walliams tossed a playful barb at Keir Starmer on air. One fan tweeted: "Loved David's dig at Keir Starmer. He's clearly far too outspoken for the BBC. He's probably next to be cancelled.". Another found amusement in the miscommunication, posting: "Watching the presenters on #TheOneShow totally not getting @davidwalliams make a joke about going to school with Kier Starmer and giving them a detention and turning the heating off. Don't know which was funnier.".
A third simply laughed it off, saying: "That was pure chaos lol.". David's quip alluded to the Labour government's recent decision to slash winter fuel payments for most pensioners. As temperatures dropped last year, Keir Starmer stood by his tough stance, declaring that the Labour government needed to be prepared to face unpopularity as a consequence of rectifying past mistakes left by the previous administration.
