Gazza’s vulgar confession about Lady Thatcher drags Channel 4 to a depraved new low as the lewd story airs
- The horrific confession can be seen in the new reality series Scared Of The Dark
- Gascoigne, now 55, reviews a meeting at No. 10 in October 1990
Channel 4 hits a new low tonight with a vulgar confession from former England footballer Paul Gascoigne on a visit to Downing Street when he met Margaret Thatcher.
The network, which has been accused of screening increasingly sensational, crude and downmarket material, will air the horrifying confession on its new reality series, Scared Of The Dark, at 9 p.m. The broadcast comes after it recently won a battle against the government, which had hoped the public network would prosper better if sold to a media giant.
In the programme, Gascoigne will reveal a dirty secret about a trip he made to No. 10 in October 1990 when the late Lady Thatcher was Prime Minister. Britain’s first female prime minister had invited the troubled star and the England squad to Downing Street following their appearance at that summer’s World Cup in Italy, where they lost to West Germany on penalties in the semi-finals.
Gascoigne, now 55, who posed for photos with Mrs Thatcher, confesses to show contestants – including Scarlett Moffatt and former boxer Chris Eubank – that he became agitated after meeting the politician. He said he went to the toilet afterwards to perform a sexual act on himself.
He asks, ‘Do you want a sexy story? I can get myself in trouble here. When I went to 10 Downing Street I put my arm around Maggie Thatcher.’ He then goes into lewd details about how he claims Mrs Thatcher left him in an agitated state. Eubank was outraged by the anecdote. He went to a private room to share his thoughts and told the show’s producers that the story was “muck.” His reaction is also broadcast.
Margaret Thatcher with Paul Gascoigne in October 1990. In the new reality series Scared Of The Dark, Gascoigne will reveal a dirty secret about his journey to number 10
Donna Preston, Nicola Adams, Chloe Burrows, Chris Eubank, Danny Dyer, Paul Gascoigne, Chris McCausland, Max George and Scareltt Moffatt in Scared Of The Dark
Eubank says, ‘I don’t know Gazza, and I don’t want to know Gazza, because that’s all rubbish. He’s brutal, he’ll drink you under the table. He’s a legend. That’s not legendary.’ The Mail on Sunday has previously revealed how the former footballer and the boxer angrily clashed on the show.
Eight participants live, eat and sleep in the dark in the program, hosted by Danny Dyer. It runs over five nights until Thursday. It will inevitably lead to viewer complaints to media regulator Ofcom.
In 2006, 251 people wrote to the television regulator to express their disgust that the BBC had broadcast a program in which Jonathan Ross asked former Prime Minister David Cameron lewd questions about whether he had a crush on Lady Thatcher when she was Prime Minister.
Paul Gascoigne in the upcoming Channel 4 reality show Scared Of The Dark. Gascoigne, now 55, who posed for photos with Mrs Thatcher, confesses to show participants that he got excited after meeting the politician
More than 1,000 people have complained to Ofcom about another Channel 4 programme, Naked Education, broadcast at 8pm before the watershed, in which adults pose naked to children.
TV executives have defended the show, saying it is a clear example of “valuable public service broadcasting” challenging the misconceptions that frighten young people.
For three decades, the network’s programming choices have been criticized as “grotesque.” There has been concern about shows like Me And My Penis, Dogging Tales, and My First Threesome.
Last year the government hoped to privatize Channel 4 after 40 years of public ownership before making a U-turn. Instead, the broadcaster gets more money to make programs in-house instead of buying them all.
Channel 4 did not respond to a request for comment.
