Allen's alright, says bloke who gave her a job

Despite the poor viewing figures and lukewarm critical reception, Danny Cohen is sure that giving Lily Allen a job presenting TV was a good choice:

"Sometimes I think, well what do you want, critics? We try to nurture new talent and then people lay into them. I think people have been tough on Lily.

"She is incredibly talented and charismatic, and I tend to agree with one or two critics who have suggested that she might not have had the same level of criticism if it had been a man presenting."

Well, yes, it might be a bit hard on you to complain had you done something more inspired in the search for new talent than gone "oh, let's get someone who's already famous for doing something else and get them to present a show..." - it's not like you spent weeks auditioning newcomers and watching showreels before discovering a fresh face, is it?

And, perhaps, she'd have got an easier ride if she'd been a bloke. Just maybe. (Although being a man didn't help Eagle Eye Cherry much, did it?) But certainly, if she'd been any good doing a show that was half watchable, she'd have been given an even easier one.