Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC has sent shockwaves throughout the UK broadcasting industry, with the producer of the iconic topical comedy show ‘Have I Got News For You’ speaking out against the BBC’s apparent nervousness over Trump jokes.

Jimmie Mulville, the founder of Hat Trick Productions and the producer of ‘Have I Got News For You’, has claimed that the BBC is “nervous” about Trump accusing the UK broadcaster of malice if he is upset by jokes on the show.

Speaking on the podcast Insiders: The TV Podcast, Mulville urged the BBC to remain calm in the face of threats from Trump, stating that the corporation is “ultimately a very reasonable organization” that doesn’t tell producers what to do.

However, Mulville detected that the BBC is making a big deal out of the situation, and he wished they would approach it with more common sense. He argued that the BBC can’t pay Trump public money to settle the lawsuit, which the president is pursuing after the corporation misleadingly edited his January 6 speech in a Panorama documentary.

Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion, claiming that the corporation’s documentary misrepresented his views on the January 6 Capitol riot. The lawsuit has sent shockwaves throughout the UK broadcasting industry, with many producers and journalists speaking out against the president’s actions.

Mulville also joked about David Ellison and his family, saying that they had “bought an apartment up Trump’s ass a long, long time ago, and that’s where they live” as they attempt to close Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Mulville produces a U.S. version of ‘Have I Got News For You’ for CNN, which will come under Ellison’s control if Paramount completes the merger.

The BBC has been approached for comment, but they have yet to respond. Mulville’s comments come as the UK broadcasting industry continues to grapple with the implications of Trump’s lawsuit, and the impact it may have on the way that the BBC and other UK broadcasters approach comedy and satire in the future.

• Mulville has produced ‘Have I Got News For You’ for over a quarter of a century.

• Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion over a documentary that he claims misrepresented his views on the January 6 Capitol riot.

• Mulville has produced a U.S. version of ‘Have I Got News For You’ for CNN, which will come under Ellison’s control if Paramount completes the merger.

• The BBC has been approached for comment, but they have yet to respond.