Monday 26 September 2022 05:59 PM Graham Norton was offered 'queue-jump ticket' by MP friend to see the Queen ... trends now

Graham Norton says he was offered a 'queue-jump ticket' by an MP friend to see the Queen lying in state but decided not to accept it to save himself getting it 'in the neck' from critics.

The chat show host, 59, claimed he was offered special treatment during an appearance on Nihal Arthanayake’s BBC Radio 5 Live programme on Monday.

It comes after This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby, 41, and Phillip Schofield, 60, allegedly 'skipped the queue' to see the Queen's coffin and film a segment for their show at Westminster Hall in London earlier this month, with Graham insisting the pair were not in the wrong.

Graham told Nihal: 'Phil and Holly… The queue. So, as far as I'm concerned, they did nothing wrong. There was a two tier system. You could queue jump!

'Now I got offered a queue jump ticket by a friend of mine – he’s an MP and he said, "Do you want to come?"

'I didn't say yes - because I thought if anybody sees me I'll get it in the neck.'

With Nihal suggesting simply: 'Optics,' Graham continued: 'Yes and that was what I thought.

'So I suppose what Phil and Holly got wrong was they thought people wouldn't care. I guess that that's their crime. 

'The actual queue jumping? They did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. 

'But foolish of them to not think that people would be annoyed.'

It comes after it was reported ITV bosses are concerned Holly and Phillip could be booed when they attend the National Television Awards next month following allegations they 'skipped the queue' to see the Queen lying in state.

The broadcasters have been the subject of online abuse in the wake of the claims and a petition to have the duo fired from their lucrative presenting roles has hit more than 74,000 signatures in eight days.  

And television executives are said to be worried the screen stars will be greeted with a hostile reaction during the star-studded ceremony which has been pushed back to 13 October from 15 September due to the Queen's death.

A source told The Sun: 'They could be booed walking down the red carpet or even on stage. It’s a major concern.'

MailOnline contacted ITV and representatives for Holly and Phil for comment.   

It comes as The Mail on Sunday revealed the star's names were not even on the accreditation list when they made their controversial visit to see the Queen lying in state.

The TV presenters created a 'hoo-ha' when they turned up nine days ago with two colleagues at Westminster Hall for what they say was to report for This Morning, said a source involved in processing the media list.

In what is the latest twist in an astonishing queue-jumping row, the names of their production team were instead used to help them gain access.  

ITV insisted it would not give out the personal contact details of on-screen talent to the Palace of Westminster authorities – and so the email addresses of programme editor Martin Frizell and another member of the production staff, who accompanied them, had been used instead.

The source involved in the media list told The Mail on Sunday: 'When they got there, their names weren't on the list so there were some discussions and – after some back and forth – Phil and Holly were given access and they were ushered through. The whole thing caused a bit of a hoo-ha.'

Neither Frizell nor the other man accompanied the pair into Westminster Hall, where they stood in the press pen for 25 minutes.

The furore began on Friday September 16 when the presenters' approach was contrasted with that of football legend David Beckham the same day. The former England captain waited in line for almost 14 hours to pay his respects to the Queen – despite being offered a pass by an MP to jump the queue. Good Morning presenter Susanna Reid also won plaudits for waiting for seven hours with her mother to file past the coffin.  

The week-long fallout over the incident – which has spawned hundreds of jokes online at their expense – has sparked rival briefing wars, with the presenters' relationship now said to be under strain.

Miss Willoughby is also believed to be unhappy that ITV did not step in sooner to back her, and there has been speculation – since denied – that she may leave the show.  

After being seen on the official camera feed inside the venue, the pair said they were there to make a segment for This Morning's show which would air four days later.

No TV crews other than the official feed were allowed inside.

It comes after Holly was said to have been leaning on Alison Hammond for support while she rides out a wave of public anger over the allegations.

Yet amid the backlash the pair have been receiving support from the hosts of Friday's show, Alison and Dermot O'Leary, with MailOnline understanding that they have been 'in regular touch' with the pair all this week. 

Holly and Phil have not commented on the matter since issuing a statement on Tuesday's show in which they insisted they 'did not skip the queue'. 

On Thursday evening, Holly did, however, returned to social media for the first time since the scandal, but only to congratulate her friend and This Morning fashion presenter Lisa Snowdon for winning Celebrity MasterChef. 

Holly has been relying on support from her friends to get her through the past few days. And despite the fact that calls for Holly and Phil to be sacked could land Alison and Dermot the role as full-time hosts, sources say they have remained loyal. 

Phil and Holly are reportedly paid as much as £600,000 for presenting the daytime show from Mondays to Thursdays, with Alison and Dermot filling in for Friday's show. 

Although neither ITV, Holly or Phil have said they will be changing the presenter line-up, that hasn't stopped speculation brewing on who would take on the top spot if the duo were to leave This Morning. 

According to William Hill, Vernon Kay and Rochelle Humes are the 2/1 favourites to replace the pair as lead presenter. Dermot is 4/1, the same price as Josie Gibson, with Alison, Craig Doyle, Ruth Langsford and Mollie King available at 5/1.

However, the speculation hasn't caused any tension between the stars, with a source telling MailOnline: 'Alison, Dermot, Phil and Holly are incredibly close and tight-knit. 

'When things started to blow up over the weekend they were in touch straight away to offer their support. Alison, in particular, has spoken many times with Holly over the phone and been a real rock.

'Dermot and Alison, along with the rest of the senior members of the ITV team, all knew they were going to be visiting Westminster and there is a sense of shock and bewilderment at how things have blown up.'

This Morning insiders believe they are now 'through the worst of the crisis' but ITV bosses are still taking steps to make sure Phil and Holly get any support they need.

'ITV has a duty of care to look after all of its presenters and some of the abuse that Phil and Holly have received on social media is absolutely horrendous,' the source added.

'People have gone way too far in some of the things they are saying and senior management have kept in regular touch with Phil and Holly to check they are OK. That will carry on until next week when they return to the programme. 

'Those working on the show hope, by then, things will have blown over and that they will be able to start to put this nightmare to bed. But only time will tell.'

The news comes after it emerged that Holly and Phillip were keen to issue a public apology over 'queue-gate', but were talked out of it after taking legal advice.

A statement was issued by ITV on Saturday and later broadcast on Tuesday's This Morning, which was voiced over by Holly but both stopped short of using the word 'sorry' - a move which has left many viewers furious.

A source told MailOnline: 'Every word of the statement was poured over. In the end, it's spectacularly backfired.

'Initially Holly and Phillip were prepared to say sorry if they'd upset anyone as they both just desperately want to draw a line under the affair. But they were advised strongly not to go down that road of saying sorry.'

Such has been the backlash to the pair that TV insiders are raising 'serious concerns' about the presenters' wellbeing after they appeared tearful and muted on This Morning this week.

In the first episode of the show since the row unfolded, Holly and Phil, 60, strongly denied viewers' claims they were 'too posh to queue' and said they had been in Westminster Hall on Friday 'strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event.' 

The voiceover also hammered home the point, 'Please know that we would never jump a queue.' 

However some social media users were not convinced and there have been calls for the pair to issue an apology. 

ITV has since doubled down in the row over footage which seemed to show them filing past the Queen's coffin - but Holly is said to have been hit particularly hard by online backlash and feels they have been 'left out to dry', sources previously said.

Channel bosses are standing by the presenters and have raised 'real and serious' concerns about their welfare following the 'relentless' online trolling, The Mirror reports. 

The popular TV hosts have faced growing fury after images of them appearing to 'skip the line' emerged on Friday while tens of thousands of mourners patiently waited for more than 12 hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty. 

Viewers tweeted accusations the hosts were 'too posh to queue' and a change.org petition to axe the presenters has surpassed 50,000 signatures as viewers appear to reject the stars' bid to draw a line under the scandal.

But Holly sparked worry amongst fans on Tuesday after they noticed she looked like she was 'on the verge of tears' and had 'never been so quiet.' 

A TV source said on Wednesday night: 'The abuse has been nothing short of disgusting, not least as they have done nothing wrong and were fully entitled to media accreditation so they could inform their viewers.

'There is huge, real and serious concerns over their wellbeing and ITV are fully supporting them behind the scenes in the face of such relentless trolling. The channel backs them 110 per cent.'

ITV has already publicly backed the pair twice, including in a statement on social media. 

Footage inside Westminster Abbey appeared to show Holly and Phil, 60, walking along an area separate from the media box - but ITV has since insisted the stars did not join mourners in filing past the coffin. 

Following the images circulating online, comparisons were quickly made to other celebrities who queued for hours with the general public - including England football legend David Beckham and even Holly and Phil's ITV colleague Susanna Reid, from Good Morning Britain.

An ITV spokeswoman has insisted the

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