Italian politician demands ban on Peppa Pig episode showing lesbian couple

Brothers of Italy’s Federico Mollicone urges state broadcaster not to show episode with co-parenting polar bears

A senior member of a far-right Italian political party tipped to win general elections this month has appealed to state broadcaster Rai not to screen an episode of the globally popular children’s cartoon series Peppa Pig over the inclusion of a same-sex couple in its cast of characters.

The episode, called Families, was shown for the first time in the UK on Tuesday, and features two co-parenting lesbian polar bears. A character called Penny announces: “I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti.” The family then sit down for a meal together.

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Johnson ‘losing the confidence’ of Tory party after rambling CBI speech

Senior party members concerned after chaotic fortnight, with PM said to be losing his grip over key policies

Conservative MPs are increasingly worried about Boris Johnson’s competence and drive after he gave a rambling speech to business leaders and was accused of losing his grip over a series of key policies from social care to rail.

Senior members of his own party said they needed Johnson to get the government back on track after a disastrous two weeks amid dismay about his performance at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference, where he lost his place in his speech for about 20 seconds and diverted into a lengthy tangent about Peppa Pig.

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‘Embarrassing’: Boris Johnson criticised for rambling speech to CBI

Business leaders and Conservative MPs criticise speech in which PM extensively praised Peppa Pig World and imitated car

Boris Johnson has been criticised by senior business leaders and Conservative MPs for a “rambling” speech to top industry figures that saw him extensively praise Peppa Pig World, compare himself to Moses and imitate the noise of an accelerating car.

The prime minister’s sprawling address to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) was accused of lacking seriousness and professionalism. Johnson lost his place during the speech and spent 20 seconds repeating “forgive me” as he shuffled the printed pages on his podium.

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Hogging the limelight: how Peppa Pig became a global phenomenon

Boris Johnson threw spotlight on show that has run for 17 years and been exported to 118 countries

To many families taking their excited children to Peppa Pig World, the most surreal aspect isn’t the pastel-hued streets or the giant cartoon animals milling around; it’s the soundtrack. Piped from speakers spread around the park, the can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head theme tune plays on a continuous loop, and parents could be forgiven for feeling they’ve entered a nightmare rather than a toddler’s dreamscape.

Not so for Boris Johnson. The prime minister was so buoyed by his Sunday enjoying delights such an egg-shaped boat ride overlooked by Grampy Rabbit, where he was photographed grinning alongside his one-year-old son Wilfred and wife Carrie, that he was moved to praise the New Forest amusement park effusively in a speech to business leaders on Monday.

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South Park Beats Washington at Moral Clarity

For a huge chunk of Americans, the venerable Comedy Central show South Park is more than simply a half hour of inspired, if crass, laughs: it is also a weathervane for America's political center. Sometimes, the show does everything in its power to avoid filling that role, as in the case of trippy episodes like its Imaginationland trilogy, but just as often, it leans in, deliberately tackling politically charged subjects with varying degrees of subtlety.