Joey Barton attributes 'four ugly girls' remark on Question Time to nerves

The footballer Joey Barton has said that sexist remarks he made during his debut on BBC's Question Time, prompting jeers from the audience and outcry online, were an example of first-night nerves.

The QPR and former England midfielder said the options available to the electorate in last week's polls were like a choice "between four really ugly girls". He was seeking to clarify why he had earlier described Ukip as the "best of a bad bunch".

Barton's "ugly girls" comments were greeted by groans from the audience and were challenged by his fellow panellist, Ukip's newly elected MEP for North West England, Louise Bours. "What an offensive thing to say," she said, accusing Barton of being a typical footballer by thinking with his feet.

Barton, who has a reputation for fouls and bad temper on the pitch, and plain speaking off it, appeared to accept the criticism. "Maybe I was a little nervous … My brains are in my feet."

Later, he made light of the remarks to his 2.5 million followers on Twitter. He posted three emoticon images of a crying face followed by the words: "Should have left it at 'Best of a bad bunch' Ah well #imnewtothis."

In a Twitter spat, fellow panellist Piers Morgan had described Barton as "Le Pitbull" before the show. Morgan said: "I don't need to train for intelligent political debates. You however … well, best of luck."

The former editor and TV presenter resisted the temptation to gloat after Barton's remarks, but rightly predicted that they would make him a trending topic on the network.

However Barton's performance was also widely praised.

Reviewing the programme for the Telegraph, the historian Tim Stanley wrote: "I was poised to write 'why did BBCQT invite a dumb footballer on to the panel when Roger Scruton is sitting at home waiting for an invite to arrive by telegram?' But Joey was pretty eloquent on [the Iraq war inquiry] Chilcot, on Heathrow's runaway runways, and on Ukip. Not that I necessarily agreed with him at all (and there was a moment when he told a sexist gag that it took a good 45 minutes for the audience to demand an apology for and made an odd statement about 9/11 that I missed because I was brewing tea) but there was something about him that made him stand out from the crowd. Could it be that he came across as … normal?"

Similarly Rob Wilson, the Tory MP for Reading East and parliamentary aide to George Osborne, praised Barton's plain speaking. He tweeted: "Not making any judgements, but interesting that when Joey Barton spoke like 'a real person' the Ukip woman howled him down."

The Daily Mirror's Katie Hind said Barton showed why everyone deserves a second chance. "He showed he is a very smart man who appeals to the general public so much more than a stuffy MP."

The commentator Toby Young said that, apart from Barton's sexist metaphor, his was the best performance on Question Time for some time.