the dailymash

Paxman believes he can increase his £1 million a year salary by applying shoe polish to his face and interviewing politicians while impersonating the late Al Jolson.

He told an audience at the Edinburgh Television Festival: "Most news readers these days are black women.

"Trevor McDonald, George whatshisface, the guy that does News 24 on Sunday afternoons and, of course, Hugh Edwards.

"Alright Hugh Edwards isn't a black woman, but he is Welsh which is basically the same thing."

Media analyst Tom Logan said: "Jeremy Paxman has raised an important issue: Why the fuck is anyone still listening to this arsehole?

"People seem to think he's deep and intelligent because he asked Michael Howard if he threatened to overrule the head of the prison service 600 times in a row. I still reckon he was pissed."

Logan added: "If he's not defiling University Challenge he's writing to Marks and Sparks about his testicles like some kind of pervert freak.

"And another thing, who the fuck keeps asking Jeremy Paxman to write books? I want names."