Tom Watson stars in Have I Got News For You

Black Country MP Tom Watson got a taste of prime time fame last night when he appeared on satirical quiz Have I Got News For You.

The West Bromwich East MP admitted he was "totally unprepared" to face comedian Paul Merton and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, who ridiculed him over Parliamentary expenses.

He had previously put the world's most famous media mogul Rupert Murdoch on the spot over the phone hacking scandal by journalists at his newspaper the News Of The World.

Mr Watson was invited onto the show because of his work to expose the scale of phone hacking and his questioning in Parliament of the people at the top of Mr Murdoch's media empire.

Asked what the Labour party thought of the row over the fate of the European single currency the 44-year-old MP replied: "I think we're keeping very quiet on it and waiting for David Cameron to save the day".

Pressed further by Hislop he drew his first laugh when he said: "I'm going to do nothing because I'm not a very good politician", a remark greeted by Hislop as "refreshing candour".

He explained his recent elevation to the shadow cabinet as deputy chairman of the Labour party was because "Ed Miliband needed someone more unpopular with The Sun then he is".

Presenter and comedian Miranda Hart brought up the free pizza wheel he was given after spending money at Marks and Spencer.

Mr Watson said: "Because I'm a very fat man it featured heavily in the newspapers during the expenses scandal."

However official figures show Mr Watson is actually one of the lowest expenses claiming MPs, featuring at 543rd out of 650 in the list of total amounts received.

Mr Watson and Ian Hislop won the quiz by five points to four against Paul Merton and comedian Reginald D Hunter.