Quentin Letts has apologised for poking fun at Andrew Marr and calling the British broadcaster “Captain Hop-Along”.
In his Daily Mail column about the rival Sunday morning television programmes hosted by Marr and Robert Peston, he made an implicit reference to Marr’s stroke.
“We have Andrew ‘Captain Hop-Along’ Marr growling away on BBC One, throwing his arm about like a tipsy conductor,” Letts wrote.
The Daily Mail columnist has since expressed regrets for his comments. “I have contacted him to apologise. I’ve left a message and sent a text and put a tweet up,” Letts told The Independent.
I fear my sketch reference to the admirable Marr today was horrid. Apologies to all concerned and upset. — Quentin Letts (@thequentinletts) May 9, 2016
Marr had a stroke in January 2013 and was in hospital for two months but returned to presenting his BBC show eight months later.
The Stroke Association have criticised Letts’ comments, saying the physical repercussions of strokes should not be mocked.
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“The devastating physical impact of a stroke is no joke,” said Alexis Wieroniey, the Deputy Director of Policy.
“Quentin Letts should apologise for his offensive and prejudiced comments about Andrew Marr’s disability. Sadly this demonstrates that discrimination against people with a disability still exists, and it is vital that we take a stand against it.
“Stroke is one of the biggest causes of disability, and across the UK there are over one million stroke survivors like Andrew Marr who are rebuilding their lives. With the right care and support, as well as compassion from those around them, stroke survivors can and do make fantastic recoveries.”
Letts’ comments have also prompted controversy on Twitter.
“Tragic, ankle-biting Quentin Letts in today's Mail. (Andrew Marr of course had a near-fatal stroke in 2013),” wrote one user.
While another said, “Letts comments are disablist in extreme & he should apologise”.
Quentin Letts wrote movingly about his son with autism but then mocks Andrew Marr for the aftereffects of a stroke. https://t.co/vAXWaZuHuW — Sarfraz Manzoor (@sarfrazmanzoor) May 9, 2016
It isn't funny or smart of Quentin Letts to make fun of Andrew Marr https://t.co/LP2sVSCsN5 — Roy Greenslade (@GreensladeR) May 9, 2016
The Andrew Marr Show declined request for comment.
File photo of Quentin Letts, 2009. 
, a UK political columnist and sketch writer, publicly apologized yesterday after he mocked disabled broadcaster . Letts was reviewing former BBC business editor 's new ITV television show for the ''Daily Mail'' on Sunday when he made the comments. In his column he said Marr, who suffered a stroke in 2013, was like "Captain Hop-Along, growling away on BBC One, throwing his arm about like a tipsy conductor".

Letts posted an apology on his  page after a critical article by , which appeared in ''The Guardian''. Greenslade said "I don't want to come off all namby-pamby. I understand that no-one should be beyond criticism and that Letts was exercising his right to press freedom. But really Quentin, that was a graceless remark."

The apology tweet read, "I fear my sketch reference to the admirable Marr today was horrid. Apologies to all concerned and upset." Letts also replied directly to Greenslade, who updated his article. Letts said "Perhaps I should have been more cautious but I hope that Andrew will forgive it. He has been equally teasing about himself in my company. I admire him." He also added he believes Marr's stroke had "made him more watchable than he was beforehand."

Criticism also came from Marr's wife and . Eleven complaints were filed in relation to the comments to the  according to a BBC statement.

Andrew Marr drew in 1.6 million viewers on Sunday, significantly more than Peston's debut with 166,000 viewers tuning in, according to ''The Guardian''. Peston left the BBC to become ITV's political editor in 2015.


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