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Sir Lenny Henry has been named as TalkTV's "Plank of Year" after the comedian called for the UK to pay £19trillion in slavery reparations. Back in October, the 67-year-old funnyman sparked controversy by calling for every black British person to receive slavery reparations from the British taxpayer. The comedian uses a new book he has co-written called The Big Payback to push for the UK to shell out trillions in compensation - targeting not just Caribbean nations, but British citizens too.

Writing in the book, Sir Lenny stated that "all black British people... need reparations for slavery", adding: "We personally deserve money for the effects of slavery." Sir Lenny teamed up with TV executive and diversity charity boss Marcus Ryder to write the book, which lays out their argument and historical rationale for the cash handouts.

Now, three months on from the bold proposition, Kevin O'Sullivan has welcomed a host of guests onto his evening show as he crowned his Plank of the Year. After much deliberation, the team bestowed the unfortunate honour on the beloved Comic Relief ambassador as they reflected on the story from the show.

Author Rafal Haydel-Mankoo began: "He [Lenny Henry] wants the taxpayer to pay £19trillion to every single black person in this country, regardless of whether or not they were descendants of slaves. And potentially, slave owning descendants will also benefit from this great windfall."

He pointed out: "£19trillion is more than the entire GDP of China" as the studio burst into laughter, before he added: "That's the funniest thing he's said since 1983."

It didn't take long before viewers flocked to X - formerly known as Twitter - to share their surprise in his comments online. One user agreed: "The funniest joke Lenny Henry has ever made up. Now, instead of being a wannabe comedian, he's a bona fide laughing stock!"

Another echoed: "Never heard him complain when he was earning millions from the UK public for his mediocre comedy career," as a third chimed in with: "Henry should be back on stage for telling top jokes like that [cry-laughing emoji]."

It comes after September saw Africa's EU equivalent jump on board a campaign pressuring British taxpayers to pay reparations for the country's so-called "historic crimes". The African Union demanded "meaningful reparations" from "former colonial powers" to address the exploitation of its people and land during the 1800s.

Despite mounting pressure, British Prime Ministers have repeatedly refused demands for reparations, with Sir Keir Starmer maintaining this stance.