As the Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield petition hits 75k signatures, Graham Norton has waded in.
The This Morning presenters have been branded “foolish” by the chat show host he offered his take on the ‘queue-jump’ row.
TV host Graham, 59, claimed he had been offered the chance to skip the queue for the Queen‘s lying-in-state.
But he decided against doing so as he reckoned he might come under fire for how it might be perceived.
Graham Norton on Phil and Holly ‘queue-jump’ row
Speaking on Radio 5 Live yesterday (September 26), Graham suggested the This Morning hosts may have been mistaken in not foreseeing any controversy.
Over 75,000 people have reportedly signed a petition calling for the pair to be axed from the ITV series as part of the backlash.
TV bosses have defended the presenters against accusations of ‘queue-jumping’, insisting they were at Westminster Hall in a professional capacity.
Furthermore, Holly has told viewers: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall.
“It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who have not been able to visit Westminster in person.”
Nonetheless, Graham indicated Phil and Holly may have been naive in not anticipating negative reactions.
But he also maintained they weren’t in the wrong for not waiting in line for hours and hours.
‘They did nothing wrong’
Graham told radio host Nihal Arthanayake: “So, as far as I’m concerned, they did nothing wrong.
“There was a two-tier system. You could queue jump! Now I got offered a queue-jump ticket by a friend of mine. He’s an MP and he said: ‘Do you wanna come?’ And I didn’t say yes. Because I thought if anybody sees me I’ll get it in the neck.”
Graham continued by suggesting Phil and Holly were “foolish” for not recognising how it might come off.
I guess that that’s their crime. The actual queue jumping? They did nothing wrong.
He added: “I suppose what Phil and Holly got wrong was they thought people wouldn’t care.
“I guess that that’s their crime. The actual queue jumping? They did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. But foolish of them to not think that people would be annoyed.”
As well as calls from social media users for Phil and Holly to lose their jobs, the fallout has also seen them parodied in memes and by big brands.
Piers Morgan and Eamonn Holmes have also had their say as the tow rumbles on, and the likes of Amanda Holden and Janet Street Porter have also made ‘digs’.
Read more: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield petition tops 75k as MP calls for Government intervention
This Morning airs on ITV, weekdays, from 10am.
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