BBC admits 'mistake' in editing out laughter at Johnson in TV debate

The BBC has claimed it made a "mistake" in editing a clip where it cut out an audience laughing at Boris Johnson, insisting the decision was made due to time constraints rather than political bias.

In a sign of the changing power dynamics between the BBC and its viewers during this election, viral online videos claiming to highlight aspects of BBC bias are increasingly reaching larger audiences than the original programmes.

The original Weekend News bulletin attracted just 1.6m viewers across both BBC One and the BBC news channel on Saturday, fewer than the number who have watched Facebook and Twitter clips highlighting the BBC's decision to edit out the laughter.