In news that will come as a surprise to precisely nobody, Brexit continues to be a total mess.
Today’s update should be quite simple, as Theresa May has agreed to go up against Jeremy Corbyn in a live TV debate about her Brexit deal.
Corbyn has already said he’d take part and the BBC has helpfully picked a time – 8pm on Sunday 9 December.
Just get them on TV, right? Well... no. This is British politics and it is 2018, so if you thought there wouldn’t be a debate about the debate, then honestly, more fool you.
And naturally, the whole saga now involves two reality TV shows and Philip Schofield.
The BBC gave an indication of what was to come by welcoming May’s decision with a sizable dose of shade, tweeting like a passive-aggressive housemate:
Corbyn then addressed May’s decision while he was on ‘Politics Live’ ‘This Morning’, where he was being interviewed by *checks notes* Phillip Schofield and ex-The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes.
Shortly after a segment on what Christmas presents to buy for your pets, Corbyn revealed he preferred ITV’s debate proposal to the BBC’s.
Explaining why, he said of ITV’s rival plan: “The timing looked good for me because it’s not inconveniencing people who may want to watch other things later in the evening...”
Super sleuth Schofield soon deduced that the Labour leader was referring to the ‘I’m A Celeb’ final and confirming that the final installment of the show is apparently the issue at hand, Corbyn said: “Maybe I want to watch it myself as well.”
You know what, yeah. Fair enough. Maybe Corbyn has been glued to this year’s series. In which case, he has come a long way since having no idea who Ant and Dec were two years ago.
Let’s just pause to assess this... The final of a reality TV series – which will likely see Georgia “Toff” Toffolo place a wooden crown on a food-deprived Harry Redknapp’s head – has become a key factor in a debate about a debate on one of the UK’s most divisive political moves in history.
The absurdity of the situation has not been lost on anyone.
Yes Darren, this is actually happening.
Of course, plenty of people soon suggested the perfect solution – just merge the debate with the final:
For the record, we like this idea a lot.
But while many people were busy looking at Twitter – guilty as charged – some of the more sensible and dedicated political reporters did some digging and found out a little bit more about the BBC’s debate proposal.
Namely the fact that it would take place after ‘Strictly Come Dancing’:
Placing new shows, or ones bosses have bigged up a lot, after heavy hitters is a well-known, ratings-boosting trick.
But will the public really want to follow the weekly results show with a Brexit showdown? It doesn’t exactly scream #SundayNightVibes, does it?
Of course, ‘Strictly’ will end with a dance-off, which provides another crossover opportunity.
Or there’s this idea, which would ensure plenty of channels get a piece of the action:
And let’s spare a thought for Sky, who aren’t even getting a look in – despite months of running a campaign called “Make TV Debates Happen”.