Graham Norton put Vicky McClure on the spot about her involvement in the doctored video of Boris Johnson being interrogated by Line Of Duty’s AC-12 over ‘partygate’.
The actor, who plays DI Kate Fleming in the hit BBC cop drama, appeared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday when conversation turned to the video from campaign group Led By Donkeys, which went viral earlier this week.
In this altered clip, Superintendent Hastings, DI Fleming and DI Arnott put the prime minister on the spot over the parties held in Downing Street during Covid restrictions, accusing him of thinking he’s “above the law” and telling him “the party’s over”.
There had been speculation Vicky and co-stars Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston had contributed extra lines to make the clip appear more realistic.
Addressing the video on his chat show, Graham said to Vicky: “You’ve been viral all week with the Line of Duty spoof where you’re interrogating Boris Johnson. Did you know that was coming out?”
“I can’t confirm or deny anything,” Vicky replied with a smirk.
As Graham said it had “gone gangbusters” and was “everywhere”, Vicky said: “Yes, I’ve watched it,” before nodding and laughing.
Led By Donkeys, who are known for their powerful online campaigns against the government, had previously said that they too could “neither confirm nor deny” if the Line Of Duty trio were involved in the making of the clip.
And Vicky’s refusal to offer a definitive answer on the matter is definitely putting us in mind of a particular scene from the show:
The ‘bring your own booze’ party held at No. 10 in April 2020 is currently the subject of an investigation – along with a host of other alleged gatherings at Downing Street – by civil servant Sue Gray.
Johnson has previously admitted attending the April 2020 party, but told the House Of Commons he believed he was attending a work event.
The Metropolitan Police have so far refused to investigate the allegations of parties in Downing Street, explaining they will only look into the claims if Sue Gray finds criminal evidence in her inquiry.