Nish Kumar calls himself ‘the brown Laurence Fox’ as The Mash Report returns on Dave after BBC cancellation

Comedian’s political satire series was cancelled last year

Nish Kumar made reference to the BBC’s cancellation of The Mash Report as the show returned to Dave on Thursday (2 September) evening.

The political comedy show, which was known for its anti-government stance, was cancelled in March 2020 after the BBC’s new director-general Tim Davie made a speech about his aims to represent a wider range of viewpoints.

However, the show has now been brought back in the form of Late Night Mash, which airs weekly on Dave.

Opening the first episode, Kumar said: “Welcome to Late Night Mash. Like the Taliban, despite popular demand we are back.

“Yes, that’s right, I’m Nish Kumar and I was cancelled by the BBC,” he continued. “ And like everybody who’s been ‘cancelled’, I got a new television show on a different channel and I’m more unapologetic than ever.”

Kumar continued his opening monologue by calling himself “the brown Laurence Fox”, adding that he meant the comparison “not because we are similar but mainly because I think he would really hate that”.

He also mocked Late Night Mash’s new home on Dave, joking that BBC shows usually ended up on the repeat-heavy channel “without having to be cancelled first”.

“But we’re really looking forward to making a success of this show on Dave, by which I mean being on Channel 4 in two years time,” he joked, referencing Taskmaster’s recent move.

Reflecting on The Mash Report’s cancellation earlier this year, Kumar said that he believed the suggestion the show was axed to appease Conservative critics should be challenged, arguing that the BBC must debunk the “useful myth” that it has cracked down on left-wing comedy.

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“The concern for me is that it’s a useful myth for Tim Davie to have out there, because it placates the British right. It gives the sharks a bit of blood,” he said.

Late Night Mash airs Thursdays at 10pm on Dave