Nadine Dorries, a polarizing former culture secretary for Britain, is set to host a new Friday night talk show on conservative channel TalkTV.
Debuting on Feb. 3, Dorries, who is still a member of parliament (MP), will kick off her show with an exclusive one-on-one interview with former prime minister Boris Johnson, who resigned last July after a string of scandals.
Dorries was an ardent supporter of Johnson’s, and stuck by his side when most of the PM’s former ministers had condemned his actions around “partygate” — a series of parties held at Downing Street during Britain’s lockdowns.
The weekly, hour-long show will be called “Friday Night with Nadine,” and is billed as an “irreverent look at the week’s news and a lively mix of topical chat with guests from the world of politics, culture and sport.”
Dorries’ time as culture secretary was fraught with a series of gaffes. In 2021, in a government select committee hearing, Dorries — who had supported the bid to privatize “It’s a Sin” broadcaster Channel 4 — appeared not to know how the U.K. broadcaster is funded, stating that it was “in receipt of public money,” when in fact Channel 4 is publicly owned but funded by advertising.
The politician is also known in the U.K. for a controversial 12-day stint on ITV’s reality juggernaut “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” in 2012.
Dorries said: “As someone who’s never been afraid to speak their mind, I’m delighted to be joining the team at TalkTV for ‘Friday Night with Nadine,’ where I’ll be putting my 23-year political career and experiences at the despatch box to good use. Boris Johnson continues to dominate so much of the political narrative since his departure from No.10. Now’s the time to find out what he really thinks about a whole range of pressing issues.”
Richard Wallace, head of TV for News Broadcasting, added: “Nadine has a unique voice in British politics and will bring that unique voice to our air. She has had a seat at the top table of British politics during extraordinary times; knows all the key players and has true insight into how the corridors of power actually work. And, as a former nurse, she’s one of very few politicians to have held down a proper job and worried about paying the bills, so our audience will relish her take.”
Backed by Rupert Murdoch’s News UK, TalkTV launched in April 2022 as a “bold new voice in news, current affairs, debate and opinion.” The channel’s presenters include Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle, Vanessa Feltz, Sharon Osbourne, Tom Newton Dunn and Julia Hartley Brewer.