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According to recent reports, the guest chair in an LBC studio was secured to the floor following an incident where Boris Johnson attempted to avoid being caught on camera during challenging interviews while serving as mayor of London.
LBC Radio also records interviews with politicians and other guests, and occasionally posts clips of these interviews on the internet.
During his tenure at City Hall from 2008 to 2016, Mr. Johnson frequently appeared on journalist Nick Ferrari’s show, known as “Ask Boris” segment.
During an interview with the Radio Times, Mr Ferrari shared that producers had to secure the guest chair to the ground because the ex-mayor kept moving out of the frame.
“That’s what we call the Boris bolt,” Mr Ferrari explained. “During the Ask Boris shows when he was mayor, whenever he was asked about cancelling the 63 bus, he would simply disappear off camera.”
The journalist also disclosed that Dame Cressida Dick, the former head of the Metropolitan Police, attempted to avoid the camera, but was unable to move the chair.
Dame Cressida explained that the chairs in the interview rooms are nailed down to ensure the safety of officers and prevent them from being hit over the head with the chairs, as pointed out by Mr Ferrari.
During the interview, Mr. Ferrari mentioned that he was initially a supporter of Mr. Johnson and confessed to having a favorable opinion of Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour party.
‘That is the Boris bolt’
When questioned about whether government ministers were treated favorably on his show, Mr Ferrari responded with a clear denial. He implied that he would hold Labour politicians to a higher standard compared to Conservative ones if the opposition party wins the upcoming election, which is predicted to take place in either spring or autumn this year.
“If the Labour party emerges victorious in the upcoming election, it may give me the opportunity to be more assertive and aim for more powerful hits, rather than just settling for a casual run or two,” he stated.
This was not the initial instance in which Mr. Johnson, who resigned as an MP last year due to numerous scandals during his time as Prime Minister, attempted to evade challenging inquiries.
In December of 2019, he took refuge in a refrigerator while being chased by a television journalist who was trying to interview him on the night before the national election.
The premier had gone on a milk delivery route in Leeds early in the morning when he was approached by Jonathan Swain from Good Morning Britain regarding his commitment to speak with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.
“I will be with you shortly,” Mr. Johnson responded, before disappearing into a spacious refrigerator.
According to conservative sources, the prime minister was not hiding in the fridge as reported by The Guardian. They stated that he was actually preparing for a separate interview.
During the election, Mr. Johnson faced allegations of avoiding media attention. He declined to participate in a one-on-one interview with former BBC journalist Andrew Neil.
Source: independent.co.uk
