...in an analysis of Radio 4 comedy

The Tories are five times more likely to be the butt of a joke on Radio 4 than Labour.

That’s the result of an analysis by the Sunday Telegraph, following the corporation’s admission that it struggled to find right-wing comedians.

The newspaper, which itself skews to the right, listened to the last 16 comedy show and noted which parties were targeted by any political jokes.

The Conservatives were the subject of 35 punchlines; the Lib Dems ten and Labour seven.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the politicians most mocked were the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, followed by Education Secretary Michael Gove.

The Telegraph suggests that the lack of jokes about left-wing politicians might not be good news for Labour, though, as it indicates senior Opposition MPs have not made an impact on the public consciousness.

The most common political subject was the government’s ‘austerity measures’. The Tories have made more than 20 formal complaints to the BBC over its reports referring to spending ‘cuts’ not ‘savings’, the spin doctors’ preferred term.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘At any point, the serving Government is likely to be the primary target for satirists. Radio 4 strives to find comedians representing different political standpoints.

‘Listeners know that the network has a rich history of political satire and that no party is safe from ridicule.’

The survey followed complaints of left-wing bias in Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, and the subsequent confession from Radio 4‘s comedy commissioner Caroline Raphael, that it was difficult to find comedians from the right.

Published: 17 Mar 2013