Culture

Christopher Biggins’ car-crash Superman interview proves how toxic the media has become

Christopher Biggins on Good Morning Britain

Christopher Biggins has a history of biphobic comments. (ITV)

An interview with Christopher Biggins on Good Morning Britain, discussing the new Superman’s sexuality, has provided a perfect example of how toxic the media has become towards queer issues.

Biggins was invited to appear live on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, 13 October, to discuss this week’s DC Comics announcement that “Superman of Earth” Jon Kent, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, is bisexual.

He was a bizarre choice of guest, considering that Biggins is no expert on comics, superheroes or bisexuality, and this fact became even clearer when he appeared to believe that Clark Kent himself had been rewritten as bisexual.

He said: “If you want to do something like this, do something original.

“Don’t take characters who already exist and make them into something they’re not.”

After going on a confusing tangent about pantomime, Biggins continued: “I think it’s important that we… not pander to the woke system, which is what we’re doing.”

When host Richard Madeley pointed out that they were not discussing Clark Kent, and that is was Superman’s son who was bisexual, Biggins ploughed on regardless.

“I just find it extraordinary,” he said.

“I do find it absolutely bizarre that this is what people want nowadays.

“Why can’t we stick to what we’ve had? Why don’t they do some new characters?

“Why don’t they create something new, something different, rather than go to a character we all know, we all love and we all know is this, not that?”

Christopher Biggins’ GMB appearance is indicative of how media stirs up anti-LGBT+ discourse

After the segment, viewers took to social media to suggest that Christopher Biggins’ complete lack of knowledge on the subject and his history of biphobic comments were the “exactly why” he was invited to appear on the show.

One Twitter user wrote that Biggins, who once described AIDS as a “bisexual disease” and said bi people were “people not wanting to admit they are gay”, was “a proven biphobic… That’s exactly why shows like GMB have him on”.

Journalist Lucy Middleton explained: “Let’s not forget Biggins famously doesn’t believe bisexuality exists – he’s been purposely picked for this debate to cause outrage. Lovely of GMB to platform his biphobia.”

Another Twitter user said: “They’ve chosen Biggins for this segment for a reason. GMB can squeeze two stories from this.

“One, get old celeb who has said horrible things about a group to talk about that group.

“Two, people remember the horrible things they said.

“Three, run another story on how they’re being ‘cancelled’.”

Darren Scott, a former editor of Gay Times and current editor of SFX, the “world’s number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine”, told PinkNews: “It’s disappointing, but not at all surprising, to see many people online yet again giving bigoted opinions on something they don’t appear to know anything about.

“So many have completely missed the fact that it’s the son of Superman who has come out as bi, let alone that it’s one timeline of one universe – of which there are many.

“It’s also a shame that Good Morning Britain chose to seek the opinion of Rentaghost actor Christopher Biggins on the topic – particularly given his views on bisexuality, which saw him eliminated from one of the ‘celebrity’ reality shows he took part in.”

In a comment that would have been infinitely more appropriate for Good Morning Britain to platform, Scott added: “It’s hugely important that people see themselves reflected in popular culture – whether that’s films, TV shows or comic books about super-powered aliens and their families.

“That reflection isn’t always one of heterosexuality and that’s always been the world we live in. I’m glad that mainstream pop culture continues to reflect the real world, as well as far-flung ones.”

ITV and Christopher Biggins have been approached for comment.

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