Piers Morgan Uncensored - Piers Morgan Uncensored: The 'Ultimate Spaceman'

Episode Date: May 16, 2022

Today's episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored includes a debate on the future of the monarchy, a clash with a trans rights activist, and a chat with the 'ultimate spaceman' William Shatner. Watch Piers M...organ Uncensored at 8 pm on TalkTV on Sky 526, Virgin Media 627, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217. Listen on DAB+ and app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:17 Good evening, I'm Piers Morgan, uncensored. Tonight will debate the future of the monarchy, trans-activist, target a women's rights heroine, and forget Eurovision, the ultimate spaceman, William Shatner, joins me alive. At first, my brain dumb. In all culture wars, there's a tipping point, a moment when those timidly bowing to the howling mob wake up, smell the latte, and grow a pair. That moment appears to have just arrived for Netflix. The once mighty streaming platform has recently seen a stock price collapse
Starting point is 00:00:50 after losing thousands of subscribers on the content battlefield. Boring virtue-sitting programming has seen its seed key territory to belligerence like Disney, Apple and Amazon. But this weekend, Netflix bosses finally realized if you go too woke, you may go broke, especially if you wave the white flag to woke warrior staff. Well, many of those Netflix snowflakes rose up in rage against their firm for streaming comedy shows by Dave Chappelle,
Starting point is 00:01:15 who makes jokes about trans people as he does about everybody else. And then the trans community got mad and she started calling her a turf. I didn't even know what that was. But I know that trans people make up words to win arguments. It's kind of funny. Chappelle is not a bigger. He's a comedy genius who likes to poke fun at anyone and everyone, which should frankly be the hallmark of any good, fearless comedian.
Starting point is 00:01:40 But the in-house Netflix wokeies demanded he'd be cancelled in furious protests. I've got one word for this lot. Fortunately, Netflix have finally done what I've been nervous. them to do for weeks until these intolerant, wet, cancelculture vultures to develop a backbone or leave. In a stunning and stinging memo to workers, they said, depending on your role, you may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful. If you'd find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you. Finally, the message to the Netflix Work Brigade is now simple. If you don't like the company, you don't have to work there. And the message
Starting point is 00:02:23 to Netflix customers is simple too. If you don't like the content in streams and there are currently 38,000 hours to choose from, you could watch something else or cancel your sub. That's how democracy works. Or that's supposed to work anyway. We need more of this rare outbreak of won't-defying gumption from corporate bosses.
Starting point is 00:02:42 Just tell them to like free speech or lump it. It was a brattish-puran attack on a towering monument of British politics, an egg shockingly hurled towards the face of a true Westminster giant. Incredibly, it's 21 years today since John Prescott, then Tony Blair's deputy prime minister, punched someone who threw an egg in his face. But that's not what I'm talking about.
Starting point is 00:03:14 I'm actually talking about the inevitable assault on Margaret Thatcher's new statue, hit by eggs within two hours of being unveiled. It was originally supposed to be outside Parliament, alongside other historical titans like Churchill, Mandela and Gandhi, where, frankly, it belonged. The Thatcher's statue was rejected by Westwood Council several years ago amid fears of civil disobedience and vandalism. So it was decided to instead put it in her hometown of Grantham in Lickenshire, where she remains by far the highest achiever in the town's history,
Starting point is 00:03:44 certainly far more achieving than the protester, who turned out to be a 59-year-old publicly funded Arts Centre deputy director named Jeremy Webster. He was so proud even filmed himself doing it, boasted about his success online. Imagine doing that at that age. 59. And your egging statues are going,
Starting point is 00:04:03 whoa, look at me! Now, regardless of your opinion about Margaret Thatcher, she was Britain's first female Prime Minister. She won an historic three terms. She had the country in three separate decades and was a hugely respected figure on the world stage.
Starting point is 00:04:18 Yes, she was divisive and polarising, and yes, by the end, many people ended up hating her. But no leader's perfect, and even the Parliament Square statues of Churchill, Mandela and Gandhi have had to be several occasions shamefully boarded up to prevent attacks from various fanatics. So of course Margaret Thatcher, in my opinion, should be allowed a statue.
Starting point is 00:04:37 And of course, people should be allowed to peacefully protest about it. But if you're a 59-year-old man pathetically chucking eggs at it like a kid in the playground, then you should be forced to clean up the mess and pay the bill. And Mr. Webster should thank his lucky stars. The Iron Lady isn't still around to deal with him personally. I suspect her famous handbag would have caused a lot more damage than Prez's punch.
Starting point is 00:05:01 And the 12 points from all of Europe goes to Ukraine! Well, obviously, quite right, too, I hear you cry. Ukraine's win at the Eurovision Song Contest has been heralded as a triumph for good over evil, a stunning show of sympathy and solidarity for the embattled Ukrainians
Starting point is 00:05:18 and their hour of need, a much-needed smack in the face of Vladimir Putin. And if the victory does indeed bring some cheer to Ukrainians at this desperate time for the country, honestly, I'm fine with that. But why do we have to pretend? It's a song contest. Let's be honest.
Starting point is 00:05:34 Ukraine could have sent one of their mind-sniffing hero dogs to bark the national anthem, and it would still have won. In fact, given the Norwegian entry was two yellow dogs singing about bananas and won almost as many public votes as the UK, the hero dogs might actually have done better. Now, I'm afraid this predictable landslide was a gigantic piece of unctuous euro virtue signally, the TV equivalent of people sticking a Ukraine flag
Starting point is 00:06:00 on their Instagram with a hug emoji and thinking, we've done our bit. Or politicians clapping like seals for President Zelensky while flat out ignoring what he's actually asking them to give him. And it stopped Britain winning when we clearly had a far superior song on performer, which last time I checked
Starting point is 00:06:15 was supposed to be the criteria for winning a singing contest. I've always loathed Eurovision because I hate all the absurdly partisan political nonsense by under-voting. This latest rigged farce has merely cemented that view. And of course, he won't do anything to help defeat Putin.
Starting point is 00:06:33 By contrast, I applaud McDonald's today for announcing it selling its entire business in Russia so in the country no longer fits its values. McDonald's opening in Moscow 32 years ago was a powerful symbol of the West Triumph and the Cold War. Their departure today is an equally powerful symbol of Russia being sent to economic Siberia. Good for McDonald's.
Starting point is 00:06:55 Punishing Putin like that will be far more effective than pretending Ukraine had the best of. song at Eurovision when it actually had one of the worst. It was a thrilling relief to see the Queen looking happy and glorious at the first major celebration of her platinum Jubilee. This after so much concern, of course, about her health, after she missed the state opening a parliament. The crowd's affection and relief was obvious, too.
Starting point is 00:07:19 A huge cheer went up as she was driven into the show, and she clearly enjoyed herself. Her Majesty is marking 70 years of her reign, the very first British monarch to do so. A movie star Tom Cruise, who hosted part of a lavish Windsor. the celebrations last night, I thought he summed her up actually pretty perfectly. She's met so many of your presidents in her lifetime. Presidents, world leaders, people of all walks of life. I think that not just America, but the world knows, as I said, dignity and devotion and kindness, someone who I think that's what I've always felt about her.
Starting point is 00:07:58 but someone that understands her position and held it with through a history that's just been extraordinary the past 70 years. Perfectly put, Mr. Cruz. Less positive, sadly, was what happened to the Queen's grandson, Prince William, when he attended the FAA Cup final on Saturday, Britain's biggest domestic football cup match. Now, we don't live in a dictatorship, but Liverpool fans have been entitled to boo and heckle William,
Starting point is 00:08:34 and as they are, to boo the national anthem, which, of course, begins with the words, God save our gracious queen. But I'm also entitled to say it was not only disappointing. It was incredibly disrespectful to the queen. But nothing else deserves our respect in this of all years. But I fear it's a mark of the trouble that may lie ahead for the British monarchy, which now feels like it's entering perilous times.
Starting point is 00:08:55 When the queen does pass on, it will be a massive moment for this country in the world. What comes after that sad day could be even more significant. Well, coming up, J.K. Rowling condemns trans-activists for blockading a statue. of a famous suffragette. And the monarchy survived after the Queen, a Cornish pub landlord's David and Goliath Battle Against Vogue magazine, and Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise
Starting point is 00:09:22 will be here. William Shatner, live, set those phases to stun all coming up and all uncensored. Well, Emmeline Pankhurst, the founder of the suffragette movement, is an historic feminist icon, but trans rights protesters disagree. This weekend, a group called themselves Manchester Trans Rise Up,
Starting point is 00:09:48 just like paramilitary. It's complete with battle. clavas and forcibly stopped a women's rights campaign group from holding an event next to a statue of Pankhurst. Pretty appalling scenes. They also tied the trans rights flag around the statue's waist, like an apron. Well, J.K. Rowling shared the video of The Clash on Twitter. She said, I never expected the right side of history to include so many people in masks, intimidating and assaulting women, did you? So can trans rights coexist with women's rights? It's all getting very emotive and very heated.
Starting point is 00:10:28 In a moment, I'll be speaking to women's rights activist Kelly J Keane, who was speaking on that day. But first, trans woman and activist Jane, not her real name. She's wearing a mask to protect her identity. joins me from the site of the protest. Jane, welcome. Hey, Pears. It's good to hear your voice, you know.
Starting point is 00:10:46 Well, it's good to you. Honestly, it's good to talk to you. I want to have a proper debate with you. It's an uncensored show so you can speak your mind. Here's my question for you. You're standing at the side of where all this went down. When you see the video footage of members of your group that day and you were there, members of the group basically assaulting a woman who is sitting there, what do you feel? I feel annoyed because the footage is cut and it doesn't show them storming in,
Starting point is 00:11:16 shoving people over that little bit of concrete over there, which is kind of dangerous. You could hear your head quite a lot doing that. It doesn't show them shoving, strangling and kicking people. And there's also not the, you know, I think I sent footage to the producers of the show. I doubt that you guys will want to show it. But we've got other footage of the same turfs that came over and tried to sort us there, strangling and punching people at other protests. They like to play the victim.
Starting point is 00:11:40 I think if you don't mind me saying you're playing slight water boutary. So I only really want to know what is your reaction to the footage we have seen, which clearly shows some of the people that you were with assaulting a woman. I mean, you can't be happy that that is the image that your group. is now seen around the world as doing? I mean, firstly, I would say, as I just said, you know, the footage is cut, you can't see the start of the footage. And the people dressed in black who are our security
Starting point is 00:12:10 to protect members, vulnerable members of our community, they are there defending themselves because these women came in when we were already having a peaceful protest there and started attacking us. They will spin it the other way, JK will spin it the other way, they'll all spin it the other way, but that is what happened. It's just they have a lot more money and power than us,
Starting point is 00:12:28 so it's easier for them to get a reach and put that message out there. But let me ask you... What I would say, you know, the way I really feel about that, I think it was a good thing that we came to that. You said that it was because we didn't like Emmeline. It's not that we didn't like Emmeline. She was racist. She was also a Tory. So, you know, we probably wouldn't have got on with her.
Starting point is 00:12:47 But our big issue was that we don't want these hateful, transphobic women coming in, some of whom, Kelly J. Keene, for example, is a big racist, a big conspiracy theorist, an anti-vaxxer, a fascist. We don't want these people coming in and standing next to this icon of feminism. Right, but let me... Okay. Look, I'm going to speak to... I'm going to speak. Okay, no, peers, listen, peers, listen, stop shouting over me. They are appropriating the imagery of the suffragette movement, a movement for women's liberation, and rebranding it as this hateful movement against trans people.
Starting point is 00:13:22 And we don't stand for that. And the majority of women, the majority of women, the majority of feminist don't stand for it either. All right, let me put my cards on the table. I've always supported trans rights to fairness and equality, and I mean that sincerely. I want everyone. Fah, bullshit, bro. And that's fine.
Starting point is 00:13:38 You're entitled to. It's an unscensored show, and you've just proven it. But let me just say to you, I always have. Wasn't your profile picture? Well, hang on, let me. I listen to you identify as a penguin. There's no point swearing. I apologize to our viewers for your bad language.
Starting point is 00:13:53 This is a chance for you to present yourself. in a way where we can have a proper debate. If you've got no interest in doing that, that's fine. But I'm just going to say to you that I've always supported trans rights to fairness and equality. My issue with the way this trans debate is going is in issues like sport, for example, where I think it's very unfair that trans women should be competing against women born to female biological bodies. I have issues about safety for women. I have issues about other areas of women's rights.
Starting point is 00:14:22 Peers, peers. Let me ask you a question. Do you understand and appreciate? What are all these dog whistles and talking points? They're not dog whistles and talking points. They are legitimate areas of concern. You can't just call everyone who disagrees with you transphobic. Please.
Starting point is 00:14:39 If you keep swearing, I'll have to cut you off. You can go and have a look at their websites. You can have a look at their Twitters. Like, they are transphobic. Kelly J. Keene was kicked out of women. I just said to you, all right, if you're going to... If you don't want to have a civilized conversation with me, Okay, look, look, I'm trying to give you a chance.
Starting point is 00:14:56 I've explained my position. What is your problem with my position? I don't really know. I'm going to leave the interview now. I kind of only came on here because I thought it would be kind of funny. But I want to say you're a . All right.
Starting point is 00:15:12 Well, I apologize again to all viewers who are listening to that. Unfortunately, a complete idiot, which is what we saw from the video. And we hoped we could have a reasonable conversation. But that is, unfortunately, what we saw in the video. very unpleasant pieces of work. They think it's fine to come on a show like this, pretend to debate,
Starting point is 00:15:32 and then engage in just abusive language. That's fine. Let's go to Kelly J King. Kelly J Keene. I want to talk to you about this issue because you were on the receiving end as a group there. You were trying to speak at Emmeline Panker statue. I've just had a pretty unsavory exchange
Starting point is 00:15:52 with one of those protesters who probably thinks that they've had their little moment with me and they'll get their little viral moment. I actually think it's indicative of actually how awful their behaviour has been throughout this episode and the way they've dealt with it afterwards. But let me ask you, you're very strong about supporting women's rights to the point where many say that you are transphobic. Are you transphobic? Well, I think in 2022, transphobic really just means I don't think women have penises. And so, yeah, I absolutely am. So you're proud of being transphobic?
Starting point is 00:16:33 Yeah, I'm proud of standing up for women's rights and making the word woman completely exclusive to just women, adult human females, 100%. Right, you see, but here's my problem with that, because whilst I have a problem with the last guest who chose to be abusive and unpleasant and wasn't listening to a word I said, I've always supported trans rights to fairness and equality. I don't see a need to say I'm transphobic towards them
Starting point is 00:16:58 or to alienate them in any way at all. And I have a problem when you proudly boast of being transphobic. I can see why on the other side of this argument, that kind of rhetoric would be very unhelpful to people who are trans. Right. Well, I guess we have a little bit of an issue with definitions, but when it comes to words like transphobia, it's simply used to silence women, like myself,
Starting point is 00:17:24 who are trying to protect women's spaces, language and rights. And so if I have to wear that label in order to speak the truth, and I'm happy to do it, there is nothing that can stop me from speaking about what harms and danger there is for women when we try and dilute what the word woman means and we allow that language to be used for men. Listen, I agree with a lot of what you say.
Starting point is 00:17:50 I've talked about this a lot, and I think there are serious issues. about the infringement on women's rights as people try and progress trans rights to where they want to get to, which is fairness and equality. You can't create a new unfairness and new inequality. But I don't think it's helpful to the debate
Starting point is 00:18:06 for you to say, I'm transphobic, because that means that you are, by your own admission, hateful towards the trans community. That's what it means, transphobic. Yeah, but it doesn't, though, does it? Because that person just called you transphobic. And I think you've said, times even this evening, that you are pro-trans rights, whatever that means.
Starting point is 00:18:29 And so if you give an inch, I feel, then we really do give everything up. And so I'm just, look, it's just a word. It's just transphobic, what is that? I've never assaulted anyone. I've never incited violence. I don't even know what transphobia means besides refusal to submit to this ideology. And I just won't. I think there needs to be a better consensus
Starting point is 00:18:57 between the two warring factions on this because I have a lot of sympathy with all of what you say. I also have sympathy with the trans community who do feel that increasingly a lot of the rhetoric about them is transphobic. I don't think it really helps to debate if you say I'm transphobic
Starting point is 00:19:12 because you know that will cause a lot of anger towards them and why play that game if you feel that they are playing a game with you? Why not be the bigger person them a debate and say, all right, how do we get to a place of genuine fairness and equality for all? Well, look, we could have gone into the conversation where you say you're transphobic and I'm like, no, I'm not transphobic. And then we continue from there and we might have a debate about what transphobia means.
Starting point is 00:19:40 I'm just happy just to put that out the way just to talk about women's rights. When we talk about trans rights in 2022, we're predominantly saying allowing access to women's spaces for men who call themselves women. That's what we're talking about. We're talking about teaching this nonsense in schools. We're talking about mutilated kids' bodies with hormones. That's what we're talking about. So I'm really, really happy to totally gatekeep the word woman and women's spaces and under no circumstances whatsoever
Starting point is 00:20:08 allow any born males in. We can dress it up, we can call it whatever we like. I can sit here and tell you I'm not transphobic because transphobia means accepting that there are something called trans and then saying that I hate them. I don't hate anybody. I feel quite sorry for particularly people like the person who is standing near the statue.
Starting point is 00:20:31 I think a lot of them are really vulnerable kids that have been fed a lie. And they're going to wake up when they're about 30 and look back and just ask themselves what on earth they've done with their lives. Kelly, Jay, I've got to leave you there, but thank you for joining me. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:20:43 And just to reiterate, apologies to anyone who was offended by the pretty appalling language you heard from our first guest in that debate. It's a shame. I wanted to have a round. sensible debate, they did. So that's it. They won't be back and we move on. Now streaming giant Netflix has told staff to quit if they're offended by its content. Some workers have protested over comedian Dave Chappelle's show on the platform, which they say is transphobic.
Starting point is 00:21:10 But in a victory of a free speech and artistic expression, Netflix told them it won't censor content. And if workers are upset by shows like Chappelle's, they should leave. So as corporate America finally groaned some balls? I'm joined now by the former CEO of Papa John's pizza restaurants, John Schroeder. Mr. Schroeder, thank you for joining me. Thanks for having me, Peers. Now, look, you became a billionaire with a fantastic pizza company. Everyone, I used to love it myself.
Starting point is 00:21:36 And then you got effectively cancelled over audio footage from a conversation you were having with staff about media training in which you were accused of using the N-word, but in fact were simply saying what you'd be. believed another public figure. I won't go into the background to that, but what they may have said previously. So in effect, you were counsel for reporting something that you believed had happened, not for actually saying that word in a derogatory sense. Is that a fair assessment of what happened to you? Yeah, the narrative was taken out of context and contrast. The comment was this guy
Starting point is 00:22:14 says that I would ever say it. So the problem is Forbes had a partial statement, mischaracterized, it kind of painted in the light that wasn't the fact what I said was actually anti-racist. Right. So you were effectively saying, I wouldn't say what that person said. So I get that. So moving to where you are now, what has life been like to you since you were cancelled? Well, first off, is you learn a lot and you don't want to see this happen to anybody else. So we were canceled culture before cancel culture was canceled culture. So there was a no really model on how do you handle the media mob when they get a hold of a false narrative and they try to persecute you with something that's not true, a history and a family history,
Starting point is 00:23:04 generations of treating everybody with love and respect and kindness. And just one characteristic of something that somebody says, they can hurt you as you well know. We're in a very strange time. There's no question. And I was very gratified, actually. on Friday to see that Netflix, who've been losing a lot of their stock price, a lot of their success, because people feel they've gone way too woke, and they've been putting woke programming on, and they've been bowing to their own woke employees who've been complaining about acts like Dave Chappelle appearing on the platform and so on. They finally, Netflix seemed to wake up to this ridiculous infringement, in my opinion,
Starting point is 00:23:46 of free speech, and decided, right, we've had enough of this. send a memo to the staff saying, if you, effectively, if you don't like it, if you can't deal with the programming breadth that we have without getting triggered by it, then you should feel free to leave. I applauded that, because that's really the way that corporate world
Starting point is 00:24:03 has to respond to this baying mod, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. I begged the board of directors and senior management at the time. I said, just slow down, slow down, let's understand exactly what I said, the contest, the contrast. and, you know, I had a weak board.
Starting point is 00:24:20 I had folks that really didn't want to do a proper investigation and didn't want to get to the bottom of it. And as I've told my board and all my executives, hey, let's stick to making pizza. Let's make the best pizza possible. Let's take care of our employees, our communities, our families. And, you know, if you're Disney, stick to entertainment. If you're Coca-Cola, stick to cold beverages. if you're Delta flag-grade airlines. So for Netflix to stand up for freedom of speech,
Starting point is 00:24:50 which is basically what they did, my hat's off to that CEO. Remember, he's from Hollywood, so he's got a lot of courage. Right, because he won't go down, well. I mean, they won't like it in Hollywood. But you mentioned Disney. You know, when you see that Disney playing politics in Florida,
Starting point is 00:25:03 for example, on this supposed don't say gay bill and so on, but they say silent about the oppression of Uigham Muslims in China where they carry on doing huge amounts of business and so on. There is so much hypocrisy for companies once they start to be selective about their moral outrage. Well, I love humanity. I love people. I'm all about uniting people. Let's be positive.
Starting point is 00:25:27 Let's boost each other up. Let's make each other better. And this whole won't cancel culture, this ideology, it just divides us. And that's not healthy. And I don't like it at all. So good for Netflix. Well, John Schottner, it's great to talk to you. And I also believe that one of the problems of cancer culture, there's no chance for redemption for people.
Starting point is 00:25:47 It's not good enough to just have them fired, cancel them. They have to be destroyed for life. And in many cases, and I think you're a good example of this, where I think something that you said was misreported, misinterpreted, and you had your life and career turned upside down. There ought to be a path to redemption to come back. Well, there is, and that is just tell the truth. Be good. Look out for the better.
Starting point is 00:26:11 of everybody, be positive, and know that the ideology of the left, it's a losing hand. That's why they have to lie and manipulate and do things that are not truthfuls because their policies promote a downward spiral of the standard of living. Conservative policies, truth, hard work, kindness, that lifts up everybody. And that's what we need to do as humanity as a race. Well, I think whether your conservative policies, whether your left policies, whatever the policies are, do it with fairness. do it with tolerance.
Starting point is 00:26:43 Allow other people to have other opinions, right? I mean, that's the bottom line. The moment you cancel people for having a different opinion, society dies and democracy dies. I've got to leave it there, John. Great to talk to you. Thank you very much for joining me. Thank you, Pierce.
Starting point is 00:26:58 For people who don't think cancel culture exists, it does, and it has a very insidious effect on society and free speech. Now, if you're wondering what's going on in the most vile, unedifying marital dispute of all time, Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard, I was going to do a whole segment on this, but I saw this headline,
Starting point is 00:27:15 and I've got to be honest, I lost the stomach for it. It wasn't me, it was the dog, Amber Heard denied in court today that she defecated in their marital bed and instead blamed Depp's Yorkshire Terrier. Wow. Just couldn't do it, sorry. Unscensored next, the Queen delighted in the crowds at Jubilee celebrations this weekend,
Starting point is 00:27:39 but with concerns, understand it'll be growing about her health, how will the monarchy adapt to life about her majesty? There have been plenty of Hollywood faces at the Royal Windsor Hall show, but it was the Queen who was the star of the night, of course. The 1960-year-old was honoured with a standing ovation as the Platinum Jubilee celebrations kicked off to mark her Majesty's 70-year reign. In one of the first performances of evening,
Starting point is 00:28:12 another Queen, Dame Helen Mirren, took to the stage to play the role of Queen's of the First with the Queen listening in Tenney. I address you on behalf of all your loyal subjects. We commend and admire the way that you carry out the affairs of state with such dexterity and poise. I therefore speak on behalf of a grateful nation and Commonwealth when I give you our sincere and most loving thanks.
Starting point is 00:28:49 Join me now as a former press secretary to the Queen, Dickie Yalbotton. Dickie, great to see, especially after a rather lively debate I had earlier. I need a bit of decorum to return to the show. You were press secretary to the Queen's, you argue to be the most turbulent. 12 years of her entire reign through the late 80s and the 90s. What do you make of where we are now? And I asked that because the Queen's health has obviously been pretty poor. For her to miss the state opening a parliament, I felt, was a really big moment.
Starting point is 00:29:14 But she bounced back yesterday as if nothing had happened. But clearly we're having to consider now, really, the possibility that she may not be with us for a lot longer. And that raises the specter of what that means for the monarchy. I think the monarchy will continue. It will continue in a different form. There was a transition period. We've seen the transition from the Diamond Jubilee, 2012, or just after,
Starting point is 00:29:40 with the Prince of Wales taking over things, going to Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. He's been doing several subsequently. The Queen did London in 2018. There wasn't one in 2020 because of COVID. The monarchy has a wonderful capacity to survive. Yes, they have all sorts of trials and tribuneration. Look, look, you were reporting in Fleet Street, 92, the Anas Horribilis, when anything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Starting point is 00:30:04 And Diana's death in 97, which many felt could have been the beginning of the end of the monocle. Exactly, but it bounces back. And yes, they have been issues. We've had COVID for two years. We've had the death of Prince Philip last year. We had the debacle of Andrew in 2019, that dreadful BBC Newsnight interview. And then Harry walking out, followed by his missus. You know, how much can a family endure, particularly the Queen?
Starting point is 00:30:28 having lost Prince Philip, how much can she endure? She's managed to cope with it remarkably well without the support of Philip because he's not there, but in the past he would have handled it. Last night, I saw a woman who's utterly indomitable. After all that we'd been reading, everyone felt would we ever see her again? Would she even make the Jubilee celebrations?
Starting point is 00:30:48 Would we see her on the balcony? And there she was, getting out of the car, beaming smile, beamed all night, had a great time. I mean, she is remarkable. six years old. She is remarkable and you raised the issue about not doing the state opening of Parliament. There's a very
Starting point is 00:31:04 simple reason for that. Firstly, you can get up to the Royal Roving Room by lift but then there's a 33 metre walk nearly 100 feet and after that once you get into the Lord's Chamber there are those steps in her goes to it. Now you may remember in 2017 she stopped laying a wreath at the Senatoff because of
Starting point is 00:31:20 those steps having to walk backwards. It's really a mobility issue. It's a mobility issue and the mobility really I believe is in her knees. She had two operations in 2003, one in January, one in December, both on cartridges. And, you know, as you get older, your knees get weaker. So it is a mobility issue. But as you say yesterday, she was absolutely sparkling.
Starting point is 00:31:41 I saw her on Friday. Yeah. I mean, it was a great moment when Alan Titchmarsh is one of her favorite presenters, the gardening presenter. And he did this. Look at her reaction. It's hilarious. There's been one constant heartbeat of this nation.
Starting point is 00:31:56 and that heart belongs to her majesty the queen. I love that. She just doesn't know how to take compliments. No. Prince Philip, he didn't like it. And the queen, you know, all the eyes are on her. Thousands of people there. Television cameras on her, beaming to millions.
Starting point is 00:32:24 And she's paid a compliment. What do you do? How do you react? Is she Dickie for you? I mean, we saw Helen Mirren there playing Elizabeth's the First, who many think was maybe the greatest monarch we've had. I actually feel this monarch is the greatest we've had. She is the greatest. Look, we've all grown up with her.
Starting point is 00:32:41 I remember when Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother died in 2002. We'd all grown up with her. She was born at the turn of the 19th into 20th century. We've all grown up with the Queen. Now, you'd be too young to remember King George's 6th. But I remember King George's 6th. I remember when he died. We were sent home from school because it would be wrong to sit in school enjoying ourselves
Starting point is 00:33:00 when the country was going into mourning. I saw his funeral procession. I saw the coronation. So she's been with us since 1952. We've all grown up with her, and we're not about to let her go either. No, I just think she's going to keep confounding everybody and we'll keep powering away.
Starting point is 00:33:19 She's a remarkable woman. Dickey, great to talk to you. You too, Pils. Really lovely to come in as well. Well, next up, a threat to the huge global fashion brand of Vogue. From this pub. What? Yes.
Starting point is 00:33:31 The star in at Vogue, a tiny... 150-year-old pub based in the village of Vogue in rural Cornwall. Landlords Mark and Rachel Graham got a threatening letter from Vogue magazine publishes Condoness warning them that confused customers might think it's all part of the fashion giant. Condonass told them as far as the general public is concerned, a connection between your business and ours is likely to be inferred. Please would you kindly let us know whether you will change your company's name. How dumb does Vogue think the pub customers are exactly?
Starting point is 00:34:02 Well, Conta now thankfully eventually came to his senses and backed down, but husband and wife, landlord, team, Mark and Rachel Graham, say they may now start a local parish newsletter and call it Vogue magazine. And they join me now from the starring at Vogue. Well, welcome to both of you. I've got to say, when I first heard about this, I thought it was a joke, a wind-up, that Vogue, this wonderful, global magazine fashion empire
Starting point is 00:34:25 would be threatened by a little pub. What was your reaction? Oh, good evening, Paris. Yeah, mine was exactly the same. same as you. I opened the letter and I thought it was one of the customers having a joke, having a bit of a laugh until I did some research, looked into it and found out, no, they were serious. They really did think a little village pub in Cornwall is going to be confused with a fashion magazine.
Starting point is 00:34:51 Rachel, I mean it's obviously very flattering if they think that you're, you know, an offshoot of this wonderful fashion iconic empire. Were you personally flattered? Do you think they'd seen you in some dazzling dresses or something? No, I wouldn't have thought so, no. No, I don't do a lot of fashion. I don't even read the magazine. And a lot of people around here don't, actually. Well, has it been a good talking point for the locals, Mark?
Starting point is 00:35:23 Because obviously everyone's been having a good laugh, I think, reading about it. But to actually live there and go in the pub must have been hilarious the last few days. Well, it's a bit mixed, actually. Most people think it's hilarious and what they're doing. But there's a good few people that, Cornwall's a very proud county, very proud county. And they see this as a company like Vogue trying to take over and subjugate the little guy and have a go at the Cornish. And it's our name. We've had it for ages. Apparently, it's in the Doomsday Book, Vogue.
Starting point is 00:35:58 So there's a few that think we should actually take Vogue to court and make them change their name now. That is the Cornish story. spirit I know and love. I think you should maybe try to be quite funny. Oh yeah, we like a bit of rebellion down here. And obviously Vogue is known for its style. I don't know if we want to go that far. Vogue is known for its style. Are you now... I've definitely got a style here. We've got our own style. I was going to ask you, what is the corny style in Vogue at the moment? Oh, just the normal, I would say the same with the country. Just relax, chilled and easy. Anything chilled and easy. Laid back. They're definitely laid back.
Starting point is 00:36:39 of the world. I've not been down to Cornwall during the pandemic. I can't wait to get down there. I think it's a very funny story. Well done you for sticking to your guns. Vogue can do one, frankly. And next time I'm down in Cornwall, I'm coming to the star in Vogue and have a... What's the local brew? What's the best pint? Well, I'm drinking Skinners. I used to be a German for them a long time ago. So Skinners, the Churro is one of a popular ones or Tintagel from just up the road. I'll come and have a Skinners with you. Mark, Rachel. Thank you for joining me.
Starting point is 00:37:12 Really appreciate it. Cheers. Cheers. Good night. Well, unscensored next. He's boldly gone where no 90-year-old has gone before. Star Trek icon William Shatner on how blasting into space
Starting point is 00:37:25 shifted his perspective about humanity. He's live after the break, the great man. After decades of voyaging through galaxies and science fiction, Star Trek icon William Shatner reached a final frontier in a rocket built by billionaire Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos, with his blue origin. But it took leaving this Earth and being blinded. into space in order for the 90-year-old to see what I've been saying for a while.
Starting point is 00:38:00 Everybody in the world needs to see. There is mother and earth and comfort, but what you see is black. What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened. I just, it's extraordinary, extraordinary. And William Shatner joins me now. William, great to have you on the program. Thank you so much for joining, Piers Morgan, Unsensitive.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Thank you, Piers. You know, when I was young, and I've been pretty young, I used to love Star Trek the TV series, and it taught me in many ways a lot about space travel, and I found it fascinating as well as entertaining. When I watched you get so emotional about actually going to, space. It made me quite emotional, watching you, this guy I'd grown up with, actually achieving this dream and finding it so breathtakingly moving. What was it like for you? Well, you know,
Starting point is 00:39:08 you've asked an interesting question. I was emotional, but, and you were emotional. What were you emotional about? I was really emotional about watching a guy who, when I was young, was this great TV icon. I loved Star Trek. And I learned about space travel, really, through the show. And then to see you, this fictitious character that I knew from television, the real man going up in space and being so moved. I just found that very moving myself. I'm glad to hear that. But for me, the emotion wasn't like, oh, I'm up in space,
Starting point is 00:39:44 and I played a space commander so many years ago. For me, when I look back at Earth, and I've only discovered this hours after, When I came down, I'm thinking, why am I so emotional? And what I discovered for myself was that I was grieving for what we've done to this earth, this tiny little rock. And you see the tiny little rock. I could see the beginning of the curvature of the earth. I could make a circle and do the circumference of the earth.
Starting point is 00:40:18 That's how tiny. We're insignificant. This insignificant rock with these insignificant ants on the rock. And yet it's beautiful, and it's our life, and we're destroying it, and I didn't really comprehend what my tears were for until I had time to assess it, and then I realized I was grieving for the Earth and what we've done. And have we... Because, as you know...
Starting point is 00:40:47 I was going to say, on that point, I mean, I think there are two things we've done, it seems to me. we've slowly ruined the planet, physically ruined it with our consumption. But also it seems to me that we've lost a lot of people, lost all sense of perspective, and that maybe when you were up in space looking down and seeing this tiny thing, Earth, that we need to get back to common sense,
Starting point is 00:41:11 to a sense of perspective about what really matters in life. Would you agree with that? Well, that's philosophically right. That's correct. That's like a really good idea. in the midst of driving an electric car somewhere. That's a great idea. What I saw is the enormity of what we've done, what we've done to five billion years of evolution
Starting point is 00:41:36 and all these beautiful things that have evolved and are gone forever. Five billion years brought whatever it is now extinct, it's gone. And dimly in my mind, I was looking back at Earth. and grieving not only for the things that are gone, but the things that are going, and in the very near future, the things that will go. And it was all that. We are doing nothing about what the tsunami.
Starting point is 00:42:11 You know, apparently in Hilo, some years ago, there was a tsunami. And the people didn't recognize it. And the water goes out, apparently. And there are the people, oh, look at that. The water's going out. And there's fish there. They were not aware that this giant wave was coming to Hawaii to kill a lot of people.
Starting point is 00:42:30 There's a giant wave coming our way. We see aspects of it now with all the storms and droughts and things. But that's nothing compared to what our children are going to face in the next several years. Prince William, who's actually big on the environment, but Prince William was quite critical of your trip. and the other what he calls tourism space travel trips. He thinks it's billionaires running around, wasting time and money.
Starting point is 00:42:57 They should be focused on more important things. What did you think of that? Well, you know, that's, that's, yeah, you know, if you look at it, yes, that's true. There's all that energy going to go up and come down. But Bezos's idea is to get polluting industries up into the sky and let them pollute 300 miles above us and try and bring the earth back to what it was.
Starting point is 00:43:29 It's a beautiful idea. When I was talking to him, I said, but that's going to take 100 years. And we don't have 100 years. And he said, and this is what the prince should understand, you've got to have hope. Without hope, you have nothing. So we cling to a hope, but we've got to do something.
Starting point is 00:43:49 about the carbon dioxide and the methane to say two things that are polluting us. Well, you talk of hope. I can only say that when I get to 90, I hope I look half as good as you do, William Shatner. Pears, you've got the bone structure to be 102 and look as handsome as you are today. It's fantastic to talk to you.
Starting point is 00:44:11 Honestly, you're one of my TV heroes and a great guy, and I really appreciate you joining the show tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you. Pleasure to talk to you. What a man, what a legend. Captain James T. Kirk. Well, generations of children in the Scouts and Girl Guides
Starting point is 00:44:27 have been honoured with badges for honing their life skills in orientering, camping, navigation. Yeah, real skills. Now they have a brand new challenge. Yes, the new challenge for British Girl Guides, for which they actually get badges lauding their success, is walking to the chip shop. The new badge features a smiling lady, French fry,
Starting point is 00:44:53 and hiking boots, happily striding to a chip shop while hungrily brandishing a fork. Kids can get another badge for eating a pizza. I'm not joking. All this as the UK is set to become the fattest country in Europe with 37% of a nation obese by 2030. The official goal guiding Twitter account says it's absolutely worth teaching and celebrating,
Starting point is 00:45:11 adding the recipients of being honoured for their independence, enjoying the outdoors, money management and following directions. Following directions? Really? To a chip shop? Judging by the fat record in this country, We have no problem finding chip shops. That's it from me. Make sure your chips are nice and greasy.
Starting point is 00:45:31 Whatever you're up to, make sure it's unsets. Good night.

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