Dispatches

The Trouble with Boris

Boris Johnson

As the first anniversary of Boris Johnson's election as Mayor of London approaches, Dispatches takes a look at his first 11 months in office to find out where he is taking the nation's capital in the build-up to the 2012 Olympics.

After a shaky start and a spate of high-profile resignations - including that of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair - Mayor Johnson has seemingly confounded his critics and made good progress at City Hall. But does he have a strategy to take London forward as the capital faces economic crisis?

Reporter Antony Barnett examines some of Boris' big ideas - including building a new international airport, introducing a cycle-hire scheme to the capital, getting rid of bendy buses, protecting the capital's skyline, cutting down on public waste and making his mayoralty more open and accountable. All very well, but are they coherent and achievable?

Clips from The Trouble with Boris

On TV

First Shown

Date Time Channel
Monday 30 March 2009 8PM Channel 4

Last Shown

Date Time Channel
Friday 03 April 2009 3.05AM Channel 4

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  1. This programme was so weak and biased. Terrible journalism and a complete hatchet job. How is this reporter (who loves his moody shots of himself walking around City Hall) allowed to d serious television? Classic quote, when referring to plans to plant 40,000 trees: "This is something of a political stunt. Boris has paid for the trees by scrapping a free newspaper set up by his predecessor". How is that a political stunt? He got rid of a PR newspaper that meant thousands of trees got knocked down and replaced it with thousands of trees. Another great moment was when he "exposed" the lies about bendy buses. Who did he speak to? People at a bus stop. Not cyclists, not drivers. I Sky+ed this show and really looked forward to seeing it, but i shall not bother watching Dispatches again if this is the poor level of journalism it delivers.
    Posted by Ron Lewis on 10/04/2009 13:25:45
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  2. The problem with Boris is that there is no problem.
    Posted by Tom on 08/04/2009 01:04:19
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  3. I feel this programme was a complete hatchet-job by Antony Barnett - although AB may have shown some valid points, the programme seemed totally biased by virtue of the people he chose to interview. Boris is not God but seems honest in what he believes, he wont do everything perfectly, but I would rather he be Mayor any day, than Ken Livingstone, who wasted our money on a scale not mentioned in this programme.
    Posted by Shirley Isaacs on 02/04/2009 17:31:44
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  4. Although no fan of Boris, by the end of the programme, I felt that if that is all that can be found against him then he can't be doing too badly. Instead of proper accusations supported by hard evidence, viewers were given juxtaposition, innuendo and smear. The sections relating to the Guppy tape and Shirley Porter were particularly risible. Subsequently, I have looked in vain for any hue and cry following such 'revelations' but the programme seems to have been pretty much ignored - thus treated with the disdain which it merited. I regularly watch Dispatches but must say that the level of journalism is extremely variable and this was truly the worst yet.
    Posted by Weygand on 01/04/2009 19:11:50
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