The BBC give Thomas Skinner a platform time and time again - and every single time it has been left picking up the pieces. It's like he has a hidden agenda to make a mockery of the publicly-funded broadcaster, and yet it continues to give him airtime, for reasons unknown.

From Strictly to The Apprentice and now even Question Time, it seems that the broadcaster never learns its lesson with the very vocal mouthpiece. The TV personality shot to fame after appearing on the 2019 series of The Apprentice as a "cheeky chap" market trader from Essex with his signature "bosh" catchphrase. However, it later came to light that back in 2011, before his TV debut, Skinner was convicted of handling £40,000 in stolen goods as part of his business selling products at markets and possessing 2,000 diazepam tablets.

The TV contestant maintains that he was unaware the stock was stolen because it was from a source he did not know. Then, just a couple of years later, despite being declared as the "real winner" of his series, the businessman ran into financial difficulties. In 2025, the Daily Mirror reported that his firm, The Fluffy Pillow Company, "has not paid back a £50,000 Covid bounce back loan" and went on to state that "Companies House has issued four notices to liquidate the firm with the outstanding debt. Two strike-offs were discontinued, possibly for administrative reasons, and two have been suspended because of an objection."

His continued controversy makes a mockery out of the success of The Apprentice, but then the BBC decided that it was still a good idea to give him a chance on one of its biggest shows - Strictly Come Dancing.

In 2025, he was paired up with Welsh professional dancer Amy Dowden. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition in the second week and this hit a real nerve with Skinner - who went on to prove himself to be the biggest sore loser known.

As a result of his elimination, Skinner claimed that the vote was rigged and would be pursuing legal action against the BBC - but the broadcaster denied any action had been taken.

Skinner claimed that he was sent an "anonymous email claiming to be from a BBC exec with stats" that showed he had "received far more votes than it appeared".

But a BBC spokesperson rejected the allegation, saying Strictly's public vote was "independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy". They added: "Any claims to the contrary are entirely without foundation."

Despite him spitting his dummy out and trying to make a complete mockery of the BBC, they still gave him yet another chance when he was a panellist on Question Time this last week. He later bragged about being paid "£2,000" to join the panel alongside Fiona Bruce.

However, once more the BBC was forced to defend itself against his claims, after backlash online. A BBC source clarified: "Tom is not a politician. Non-politicians who appear on the panel receive a small amount, nowhere near the thousands."

They added that the political programme "does not pay any elected and serving politicians (including peers) any fee at all," and it only pays those who aren't politicians a fee of £150.

While Skinner has been outed time and time again for letting his mouth run away with him and being caught in lies, it is the BBC that is the real joke. The broadcaster is always under scrutiny for being funded by the licence fee so why would it want to make itself look even less credible?

If its plan is to ruin the reputation of a man who threatened to sue them, then it really is backfiring. The BBC is cutting off its nose to spite its face - I think it's time that it learnt its lesson before risking more ridicule.