Former TalkTV presenter Mike Graham has been condemned after making a joke about Andy Burnham’s late father, who died last month after living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The comments were made during Graham’s latest UKLIVE show while he was discussing his nominations for “Plank of the Week”.
Graham brought up a clip from Burnham’s Labour conference speech in which the Prime Minister said:
“I will build the Britain my dad wanted to see.”
Graham then said:
“His dad didn’t even know who he is, right? He died. He didn’t even recognise his own son. So, what fucking Britain did he want, right? Why would you ask a bloke with Alzheimer’s, ‘What sort of Britain do you want’? I don’t know.”
His panellists, Mark Littlewood and Paul Cox, could be heard laughing during the exchange.
Burnham’s father Roy died on September 14 at the age of 85 after living with Alzheimer’s disease. Burnham had spoken openly before becoming prime minister about the effect the condition had on his father, including the fact that Roy no longer understood that his son had reached Downing Street.
That experience has also become closely tied to Burnham’s push for social care reform, including his proposed National Care Service.
Burnham had spoken movingly about his father days earlier
The comments came only days after Burnham became emotional during his first Labour conference speech as Prime Minister.
Speaking in Liverpool, he linked his father’s experiences with dementia and social care to the reforms he now wants his government to pursue. Labour has since proposed a National Care Service offering free personal care, with Burnham arguing that families should not be left facing devastating bills when a relative needs support.
His father’s illness was not something Burnham suddenly introduced into his politics after reaching No 10.
The Alzheimer’s Society said after Roy’s death that Burnham had been a “longstanding advocate for improving the lives of people affected by dementia”, including supporting dementia-focused initiatives while mayor of Greater Manchester and repeatedly speaking about his family’s experience.
Speaking after his father’s death, Burnham said his family had been helped by the warmth shown by people across politics and thanked those who had sent messages of support.
He also said Roy would have wanted him to get back to work and make the changes he had always encouraged him to pursue.
That made Graham’s decision to joke specifically about Roy no longer recognising his own son particularly raw for many people who have watched relatives live with dementia.
‘Doesn’t get much lower’
The clip was shared widely after columnist Dan Hodges posted it on X.
@DPJHodges wrote:
“So I’ve just been sent this. Assume it’s genuine @Iromg”
But much of the reaction focused less on the politics and more on the decision to use Alzheimer’s disease as part of the joke.
@Roxybuchanno wrote:
“Having watched my father suffer for many years with dementia, this actually upset me. It doesn’t just show a lack of empathy but also basic human decency. And the others laughing are just as bad.”
@KevinASchofield wrote:
“Doesn’t get much lower than mocking an Alzheimer’s sufferer.”
@danohagan wrote:
“As someone who, like many others, watched a parent virtually crumble before their eyes in slow motion with Alzheimers, this is beyond abhorrent. Let this be the absolute fucking end of the rancid, dwindling career of this odious, poisonous dimwit.”
@donmcgowan wrote:
“Proof, if you ever needed it that Mike Graham is a stone-cold ****** [insert your own expletive].
Mocking Andy Burnham’s father’s Alzheimer’s disease.”
And @OliverKamm wrote:
“My mother, an eminent literary figure, had no idea who I was in the last year of her life. It was more distressing than her death. That’s about as low as it gets, @Iromg & @PaulCoxComedy.”
‘Alzheimer’s is no joke’
Several of the most powerful responses came from people who had personal experience of dementia.
@PippyBing wrote:
“Alzheimer’s is no joke. I watch people battle this disease daily and it is one of the cruellest and most painful things a family can go through. Turning someone’s inability to recognise their own son, and a son no longer being recognised, into a cheap punchline is repulsive.”
@Real_Rob_Warner wrote:
“I’ve documented on here some of my Dad’s journey with Alzheimer’s. That a broadcaster with a platform like @Iromg sees it as a stick to beat someone with is disgusting, but not surprising. Monumental tosspot that he is.”
@EmilyV_Harris added:
“This video is horrific – mocking Burnham’s father because he had Alzheimer’s is cruel and beyond the pale. Mike tweeted this in 2022 – what happened to him?”
This video is horrific – mocking Burnham’s father because he had Alzheimer’s is cruel and beyond the pale. Mike tweeted this in 2022 – what happened to him? https://t.co/1s7GUIfj9Gpic.twitter.com/129BNlaGxi
“I’ve just spent the last several months dealing with a close relative who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, one of cruellest of diseases, and all the anguish and stress this causes.
I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. @MarkJLittlewood”
The Alzheimer’s Society describes the condition as a progressive brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. As it advances, memory, recognition and the ability to carry out everyday tasks can deteriorate severely, often creating immense strain for the person living with it and for their family.
Burnham had previously described the heartbreak himself
Burnham had spoken openly before his father’s death about the fact Roy no longer understood that his son had become prime minister.
He told The Times that this was “a sadness” because he knew his father would have been proud, adding:
“The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement although he doesn’t know it.”
Staff at Roy’s care home had reportedly sat him in front of a television to watch his son walk into Downing Street, in the hope that he might recognise what was happening.
Roy was a former telephone engineer and had been an important political influence on his son. Burnham has repeatedly connected his family’s experience of dementia and care with his belief that the social care system needs fundamental reform.
That is the context Graham reduced to a joke about a father no longer knowing who his son was.
Graham has faced controversy before
Graham left TalkTV in 2025 after controversy surrounding material posted to his Facebook account. He said the account had been hacked, but parent company News UK later terminated his contract after saying he had failed to cooperate with its investigation.
He has since continued broadcasting independently through his own online show.
His latest comments have prompted calls from some viewers for advertisers, guests and platforms to reconsider working with him, although there has been no suggestion that Graham intends to apologise.
The clip remained widely shared on Saturday, with much of the anger coming not from Labour politicians but from ordinary people who recognised something painfully familiar in Burnham’s description of his father’s illness.
For families who have watched Alzheimer’s gradually take away a loved one’s memories, the fact that Roy Burnham no longer recognised his son was not a political punchline.
Jordon Scott is a digital media specialist and editor at The Daily Britain. He focuses on political coverage, platform strategy, and ensuring journalism remains accessible without compromising editorial standards.
He oversees publication structure, reach, and transparency across the site.
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