The Mash Report, the BBC show which was accused of left-wing bias, will not return for another series.
The broadcaster said it is ‘very proud’ of the programme but will be axing it ‘in order to make room for new comedy shows’.
The show, a satirical take on the week’s news which featured Nish Kumar and Rachel Parris, first aired in 2017.
Kumar hit back at the broadcaster’s decision to cancel the programme, posting a picture of himself in front of the words ‘Boris Johnson is a liar and a racist’.
It follows director-general Tim Davie previously dismissing reports that he planned to overhaul BBC comedy, saying ‘comedy has always been poking at authority’.
But he said: ‘We need to nurture brilliant writers from all kind of perspectives’ and there must be ‘no assumed point of view’.
Nish Kumar posted a picture of himself in front of the words ‘Boris Johnson is a liar and a racist’ (above) in reaction to the BBC’s decision to axe the left-wing satire show
Comedian Kumar captioned his tweet: ‘A lot of people asking me for a comment and here it is’.
The BBC said in a statement: ‘We are very proud of The Mash Report but, in order to make room for new comedy shows, we sometimes have to make difficult decisions and it won’t be returning.
‘We would like to thank all those involved in four brilliant series and hope to work with Nish Kumar, Rachel Parris and the team in the future.’
Twitter users commented on Kumar’s post, with one saying: ‘Love the show and this is unfair’.
But others disagreed, with another person writing: ‘The Mash Report was terrible, that’s why it’s been cancelled.’
A third posted: ‘Can I just point out The Mash Report was completely unfunny’.
In 2018, broadcaster Andrew Neil singled out the satire show while complaining that the corporation’s comedy output was too left-wing.
He called the BBC Two programme ‘self-satisfied, self-adulatory, unchallenged left-wing propaganda’.
Kumar (pictured above), who also hosted Joel & Nish vs The World, often centres his stand-up routine on political matters and he is no stranger to controversy
In September last year, director-general Mr Davie told staff the BBC needed to keep reforming ‘with urgency’ and stressed it must be ‘a universal public service’.
BBC bosses said comedian Jo Brand had gone ‘too far’ in 2019 when she made a joke on Radio Four’s comedy show Heresy about throwing battery acid over ‘unpleasant’ politicians.
She branded the throwing of milkshakes on politicians such as Nigel Farage as ‘pathetic’ and added: ‘Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?’
She added: ‘I’m not going to do it, it’s purely a fantasy. But I think milkshakes are pathetic.’
In a message to all staff after he took over as director-general, Mr Davie said: ‘Overall my guiding principle is that we are a universal public service, a BBC for all, that serves and represents every part of this country
‘Our focus must be to ensure that we deliver outstanding and unique value to all audiences, those who pay for us and are in effect our customers, in return for their licence fee.
In 2019, Kumar had bread thrown at him and was booed off stage after making a political joke at a charity cricket lunch
New director-general Tim Davie (pictured above) previously dismissed reports that he planned to overhaul BBC comedy, saying ‘comedy has always been poking at authority’
‘To do this we will need to keep reforming the BBC with urgency so that we are trusted, relevant and indispensable in this digital age.
‘While we do face challenges, the senior team and I are incredibly proud to be leading this organisation and supporting you.
‘We are an organisation that matters, and your work is admired for its creative brilliance, outstanding journalism and much more across the world. I am here to ensure that continues.’
Kumar, who also hosted Joel & Nish vs The World, often centres his stand-up routine on political matters and he is no stranger to controversy.
Speaking on Graham Norton’s New Year’s Eve special, Kumar described long-time Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as ‘a sack of meat brought to life by a witch’s curse’.
He added: ‘Now we have finally completed Brexit, I predict we will have a taste for leaving things and will vote to leave more stuff, starting with the continent of Europe, then the United Nations and finally the Earth by strapping rockets under the country and blasting off into space.’
Speaking on Graham Norton’s New Year’s Eve special, Kumar described long-time Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as ‘a sack of meat brought to life by a witch’s curse’
Last year a show he hosted, Horrible Histories Brexit, provoked outrage after suggesting Britain had historically failed to produce anything of note, relying instead on imports.
Historian Andrew Roberts described the ten-minute show, which was released to coincide with the departure from the European Union, as ‘a stream of bigoted hatred directed against this country’.
He added: ‘These sneering attitudes to all things British should not be forced down the throats of children by the BBC. It is an attempt to make us despise our ancestors in a purely ahistorical way.’
In 2019, Kumar had bread thrown at him and was booed off stage after making a political joke at a charity cricket lunch.
That same year he said ‘the architects of Brexit are a cocktail of lying racists and buffoons’.
And in December 2018 he apologised for giving a platform on The Mash Report to Steve Topple, a ‘left-wing journalist who promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories’. Kumar promised to be ‘more judicious in future’.
The BBC’s decision to axe the show comes ahead of its annual TV licence fee being increased by £1.50, from £157.50 to £159, from 1 April 2021. This is the equivalent of £13.12 per month.
Since April last year, the annual cost is £157.50 for a colour licence and £53 for a black and white licence.
In May 2016, the Government announced the licence fee, which is compulsory for households who watch live television, would rise with inflation for the first five years of the Charter period as of 1 April 2017.