BBC's political drama Roadkill starring Hugh Laurie is slammed for 'anti-Conservative bias' as Tory MP says: 'If they did the same for a left-wing character it would be a hate crime'

The BBC's new political drama Roadkill was today slammed for its 'anti-Conservative bias' as a Tory MP said: 'If they did the same for a left-wing character it would be a hate crime'. 

The drama, written by Hampstead playwright Sir David Hare, sees Hugh Laurie playing corrupt Tory government minister Peter Laurence, who in the first episode is seen lying in court during a libel trial, sleeping with his mistress and burying evidence of a love child.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who was reacting to criticism of Roadkill, said: 'This show is just another BBC anti-Conservative trope. If they did the same for a left-wing character it would probably be classed as a hate crime.'

Concerns over left-wing bias at the BBC have seen Prime Minister Boris Johnson push for a right-wing figure to fill the role of chairman, with former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore lined up for the job before he turned it down. 

Mr Bridgen added: 'It's a great shame Charles Moore didn't want it. He probably thinks it's gone too far. But they have to do something to rescue the BBC from itself or no one's going to watch it.'   

Roadkill sees Hugh Laurie playing corrupt Tory government minister Peter Laurence

It was criticised by viewers including This Morning presenter India Willoughby, who called it a 'Poundland House of Cards' 

Sir David Hare: Left-wing playwright who once joked about killing David Cameron 

Sir David Hare is a veteran playwright and avowed left-winger who is best known for his biting satires of British politics and society. 

The 73-year-old regularly promotes his socialist principles both on and off the stage and once joked about wanting to kill David Cameron. 

Sir David was educated at Lancing College, an independent school in Sussex, and Jesus College, Cambridge. He began his stage career with the Portable Theatre Company and produced his first play, Slag, in 1970. 

That same year he married his first wife, Margaret Matheson. The couple had three children and divorced in 1980. 

His notable plays include Stuff Happens (2004), which followed George Bush in the run-up to the Iraq War, and I’m Not Running (2018), which explored the life of a doctor turned Labour politician.   

Asked in a 2011 interview what crime he would commit if he could get away with it, he replied: 'I’d put a pillow over David Cameron’s sleeping head. 

'He seems to be exactly the kind of glib, shallow PR man that Conservatives are traditionally meant to disapprove of. Why he is the leader of their party, I have no idea.' 

Sir David is married to Nicola Farhi, a French fashion designer. He contracted coronavirus this year and wrote about the experience in a podcast, Beat the Devil.  

Roadkill was also criticised by the actor Laurence Fox, who told MailOnline: 'I never watch the BBC and it's certainly not my job to defend the Tory Party but I don't watch it because so much content is a lecture from a series of stereotypes. A morality play.

'A new chairman is desperately needed before the BBC disappears in a puff of Woke Smoke.' 

The first episode of Roadkill aired last night with a stellar cast including - alongside Hugh Laurie - Helen McCrory, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Sarah Greene and Pip Torrens.

The Tory minister Peter Laurence is portrayed as a charismatic, ruthless and self-centred politician who repeatedly lies in a bid to maintain his hold on power.

In one scene, he visits a women's prison to negotiate with a potential blackmailer. When he hears later that riots have broken out at the jail, he mutters: 'Let's hope there are injuries. Better still, fatalities.'

The programme's creator, David Hare, has openly admitted the programme is an examination into the 'appeal of Conservative values'.

He said in a press release: 'In Roadkill, I wanted to ask what happens when you put ideals of freedom and personal responsibility above all other virtues.

'I was also interested in the effect of believing that every one of us is alone responsible for the destiny and progress of our own lives.'

The programme received praised from several newspaper reviewers and viewers on Twitter. But others slated it for being politically biased.

This Morning presenter India Willoughby said: 'Why is half the country paying for a channel that clearly despises them?

'The BBC are not big on diversity. It's a myth. In fact they are anti-diversity. They only work with people who share the same world view.'

Talk Radio presenter Kevin O'Sullivan wrote: 'Roadkill: a thrilling new BBC drama about an evil Tory minister who wants to privatise the NHS.

'Good to see the state broadcaster ploughing an unexpected furrow and escaping from the shackles of its left wing prejudices...' 

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who was reacting to criticism of Roadkill, said: 'This show is just another BBC anti-Conservative trope.' He is pictured being confronted by anti-Brexit activist Steve Bray in March last year 

A third viewer, Oliver Bayley, wrote: 'The BBC continues to construct its own coffin. This time with the help of David Hare's babyish tribalism and intellectual arrested development. Makes a Ladybird book look nuanced.' 

The Prime Minister's decision to put forward Lord Moore as the new BBC chairman sparked controversy, with former Question Time host David Dimbleby saying he was 'horrified' at the idea of him taking the role.

Speaking today, Rebecca Ryan, Campaign Director of pressure group Defund the BBC said : 'David Dimbleby may well be 'horrified' at the idea of the next Chairman of the BBC being a right-leaning figure, but it looks like some balance is urgently necessary.

'When the BBC is losing 550 licence fee payers a day, perhaps they should ask themselves whether a drama series that paints the party that was overwhelmingly backed by the British people less than a year ago as backstabbing, scandal-ridden schemers is part of their problem.'

The first episode of Roadkill aired last night with a stellar cast including Helen McCrory, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Sarah Greene and Pip Torrens

The programme received praised from several newspaper reviewers and viewers on Twitter. But others slated it for being politically biased