GB News guest trolls news channel’s low viewership with hidden background message

The mockery of GB News’ reportedly low viewing figures has shown no sign of stopping after a guest left a hidden message in the background trolling the controversial news channel.

James Mills, former strategic advisor to ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, appeared on Michelle Dewberry’s programme on Friday night to discuss how the party can make a political comeback, but also chose to display a comment on the channel’s viewership on the whiteboard behind him.

“No one is watching GB News,” the message reads.

After pulling the stunt, Mills took to Twitter to reveal that he “just got cancelled (or as they call it ‘banned’) by what I assume was one of the editors” as a result of his trickery.

“But after their stance on taking a knee I thought I would have some fun rather than just say no to them.

“My favourite bit was when the editor called me up angrily afterwards to say, ‘people are tweeting about what you did so clearly it’s not true that no one is watching.’

“I guess we all measure success differently… tbf, given their viewing figs you can understand, low bar,” he wrote.

The incident comes as GB News continues to deal with a crisis caused by one of its presenters taking the knee on Tuesday, prompting a boycott which led to several programmes receiving no viewers at all – according to the ratings agency Barb.

On Thursday, the channel issued a statement that while it does not “have a company line on taking the knee”, presenter Guto Harri taking the knee was “an unacceptable breach of our standards” – a statement which was criticised online as being “entirely contradictory”.

Mills’ cheeky easter egg has since been praised by others online:

Given that interest in GB News is faltering at the moment, it’s rather fitting that Mills chose to make the joke via a board…