Matthew Perry calls Peter Hitchens a ‘complete tool’ as he discusses 2013 Newsnight appearance

‘Friends’ star said he showed right-wing pundit for the ‘fool he is’ during 2013 TV appearance

Matthew Perry has branded conservative broadcaster Peter Hitchens a “complete tool” after the pair debated drug reform on Newsnight in 2013.

The Friends star discusses the topic in his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, in which he writes frankly about his struggles with drug addiction over the years.

Perry used his platform to advocate for the introduction of drug courts, which aim to decriminalise non-violent addicts and offer them treatment instead of a prison sentence.

In 2013, Perry was asked to debate the topic on the BBC programme Newsnight, which he recalled being moderated by “a cranky guy called Jeremy Paxman who was famous for being rude to guests”.

The other panellists were Baroness Meacher, an advocate for drug policy reform, and “a complete tool called Peter Hitchens”.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a sibling whom everyone adores when you’re the idiot brother everyone loathes, but I think Peter could well be able to weigh in on what that feels like,” Perry writes of the Mail on Sunday columnist.

“The loss of Peter’s wonderful brother, the great [author] Christopher Hitchens, still reverberates – an unmatched raconteur, writer, arguer, and bon vivant, and the world mourns Christopher still, more than a decade after his brutal death from cancer.”

Perry in 2017 (Getty Images)

The 53-year-old continues: “Sadly, his younger brother, Peter, is still pontificating on things he has no idea about, mixing right-wing ideology with a kind of paternalism and moral tutting.”

Perry describes Hitchens explaining his “bizarre view” that addiction was “a case of weak morals” and “wasn’t even a real thing”. He also says that the journalist sounded “like some insane great-aunt who’d had one too many glasses of sherry”.

“I like to think that both the Baroness and I ran rings around him – but frankly, that wasn’t hard,” he writes. “He didn’t like that much, and eventually the interview ended with Paxman and Baroness Meacher simply laughing out loud at how stupid and cruel Hitchens sounded.”

From L-R: Matthew Perry, Baroness Meacher, Jeremy Paxman, Peter Hitchens on ‘Newsnight’ in 2013 (BBC)

Perry says that Hitchens proved “that he knew nothing about either me, or the subject on which he pontificated”, while Perry made him look “like the fool he is”.

The Independent has contacted Perry for comment.

In a statement to The Independent, Hitchens said: “‘I had no idea who Matthew Perry was when I was asked on to Newsnight to debate drug courts. When I arrived at the studio I found him there with a huge entourage, as if he was Henry Kissinger. I think that’s his problem. He never normally meets anyone who disagrees with him.

“That could be why, nine years later, the episode still rankles, and still strikes him as an important bit of his life. I tried to argue with him. He mostly responded by calling me names, and he still seems to be doing this. I have a rather low opinion of people who try to use my late brother’s memory against me, and I wish he had not done that.”

Writing about his addiction in his memoir, Perry says that, at his worst moment, he would take 55 strong painkillers a day to get through filming Friends.

The actor also claims fans of the show can tell whether he was drinking alcohol or taking drugs “from season to season” by “gauging” his weight and tracking his facial hair.

“When I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I’m skinny, it’s pills; when I have a goatee, it’s a lot of pills,” he writes. However, Perry insists he was “never” high or drunk during filming.

You can read more of the biggest talking points from Perry’s autobiography here.

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is out now.

If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.

In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.