Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan poke fun at Holly and Phillip at TV BAFTAs trends now
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan took digs at the BBC, the Gary Lineker controversy and the furore over Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield's visit to the late Queen's lying in state as they opened the British Academy TV Awards with P&O Cruises with a string of 'edgy' jokes.
The pair kicked off the ceremony in London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night, with shows including The Crown, This Is Going To Hurt and Bad Sisters battling it out.
It comes after it was confirmed earlier in the day that Holly and Phil will both appear on This Morning on Monday, despite reports their friendship has completely broken down amid a tense 48 hours of talks.
Beckett said: 'As we all know this year, there have been one or two issues with the subject of the BBC and balance. It's not easy for comedians to host an award show on the BBC. We need to be funny. We need to be professional and also offer balanced views. This booking is perfect for balance.
'I see a room filled with some of the hardest working and most talented people in TV all driven by a passion and a love for their craft.'
Savage! Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan took digs at the the furore over Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield 's visit to the late Queen's lying in state as they opened the British Academy TV Awards
Tense: It comes after it was confirmed earlier on Sunday that Holly and Phil (pictured together on the show) will both appear on This Morning tomorrow, despite reports their friendship has completely broken down amid a tense 48 hours of talks
Ranganathan added: 'Whereas I see a roomful of shark-eyed narcissists.'
The pair then chimed in unison: 'Balance.'
Gesturing to Imelda Staunton, who is in the running for the Best Actress prize for her role as the late Queen in The Crown, Beckett said: 'She's nominated for her performance in The Crown.
'Apparently, Holly and Phil got to watch that a couple of days before everybody else. A little bit of edge for you, early doors.'
The This Morning hosts were criticised on social media after they saw the late Queen lying in state without taking part in the public queue.
They later insisted they would 'never jump a queue' and their visit was for the purposes of reporting on the event.
Later Rob joked: 'A few months back we were left hoping that The Traitors would be making a swift return to BBC One. Well that's what some of the papers called the Match Of The Day presenters anyway. Are we edgy? I think we might be edgy.'
Lineker was briefly suspended as host of Match Of The Day in March over his criticism of the Government's asylum policy on Twitter but returned to air following a boycott by top on-air talent at the broadcaster.
Brutal! The comedian's kicked off the ceremony in London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night, with shows including The Crown, This Is Going To Hurt and Bad Sisters battling it out
Cheeky: They also poked fun at Gary Lineker (pictured) after he was briefly suspended as host of Match Of The Day in March over his criticism of the Government's asylum policy
Uproar: They also joked about the ITV hosts after they criticised on social media after seemingly seeing the late Queen lying in state without taking part in the public queue (pictured)
Pundits and presenters dropping out of a host of football shows in solidarity with Lineker prompted two days of disruption to TV and radio schedules.
It was revealed that Holly and Phillip would both appear on Monday's This Morning following two days of crisis talks, despite reports their friendship has completely broken down.
ITV have confirmed that despite the pair being at war with one another, they will attempt to put their differences aside for the show.
It has left staff at This Morning stunned, and fearing that it could end in disaster after tensions between the pair are said to have risen dramatically in recent weeks.
It was earlier revealed that Holly, 42, had reportedly begun contract negotiations with ITV bosses as she pushes for new terms following the breakdown of her friendship with Phillip, 61, whose future on the programme now hangs in the balance.
Fighting on: ITV have confirmed that despite the pair being at war with one another, they will attempt to put their differences aside for the show on Monday
It has been claimed Mr Schofield did not tell Ms Willoughby about the allegations of child sex offences against his brother Timothy
A close source said: 'Nobody ever thought it would end like this. They were part of one another's families and they spent a lot of their weekends socialising'
An insider claimed Phillip has been nicknamed 'The Grim Reaper' on This Morning by some people who don't get on with him.
It was also revealed that it is 'too late' to save their friendship amid allegations Mr Schofield did not tell Ms Willougby that he was going off air earlier this year due to his brother being on trial for sexual
