BBC3 chief Cohen defends Lily Allen

The controller of BBC Three has come to the defence of Lily Allen's critically derided chatshow.

Danny Cohen, who granted Lily Allen And Friends a second series on April 1 despite its mediocre ratings, said the show is an example of his channel developing new talent.

"Sometimes I think, well what do you want, critics? We try to nurture new talent and then people lay into them. I think people have been tough on Lily.

"She is incredibly talented and charismatic, and I tend to agree with one or two critics who have suggested that she might not have had the same level of criticism if it had been a man presenting."

Speaking at a conference in London last week, Cohen said emerging talent will be stifled if broadcasters pay too much attention to media reaction.