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What's David Cameron watching on the telly, exactly?

  • Published
    15 December 2015
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@David_Cameron tweets: It was great to watch Tim Peake blast off on his mission to join the International Space Station.Image source, @David_Cameron/Twitter
ByBBC Trending
What's popular and why

The British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted a photo of himself watching the launch of the Soyuz rocket to space. Enter political opponents and journalists, who saw a chance to wield Photoshop and create the latest political meme.

One of the first tweets came from Buzzfeed reporter Jamie Ross, external, showing Cameron tuning into the wrong channel and watching the BBC programme Bargain Hunt. BBC Trending asked Ross why he created the image. "I was just taking part in the honourable tradition of making fun of David Cameron when he posts Photoshoppable images on Twitter," he said.

@JamieRoss7 tweets: It's on the other channel, David.Image source, @JamieRoss7/Twitter

Soon, questionable humour was being deployed by political opponents. Fundraiser and Liberal Democrat supporter, Cal Roscow, external showed a cartoon image of Peppa Pig characters - a sly reference to a story contained in former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft's unauthorised biography of the prime minister.

@calroscow tweets: One of @David_Cameron's favourite shows.Image source, @calroscow/Twitter

Roscow denies that he's joining in the base humour online for political reasons, saying "I think this is a bit more subtle." He added: "I suspect his social media team knew how good the photo was for editing, so perhaps I've been drawn into doing exactly what they intended."

A Labour party member, Hamish, external, shows the prime minister about to watch The Jeremy Kyle Show.

@HamishP95 tweets: Don't worry Dave, sometimes my remote control gets stuck on ITV too.Image source, @HamishP95/Twitter

Huffington Post staffer Ryan Barrell, external's image shows Cameron viewing a warning to pay the TV Licence fee.

@RyanBarrell tweets: Oopsie, Dave. Better sort that out.Image source, @RyanBarrell/Twitter

Blog by Andree Massiah

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You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

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