What is Nadine Dorries doing now?

The first episode of Nadine Dorries' Friday night talkshow is almost upon us - and her first guest is none other than the former prime minister Boris Johnson.

During their time together in government, Dorries was an ardent and vocal supporter of Johnson, who appointed her to her first cabinet job.

Even as Johnson was hit with a wave of resignations from his government in July 2022 over his handling of the Partygate saga, Dorries stood resolutely by his side.

Given her undying loyalty, she’s unlikely to give the former PM a hard time on her show, titled Friday Night With Nadine, but here’s what we know so far.

In a preview clip of the opening show, airing on Talk TV at 8pm, Johnson says the Conservative Party can “certainly” beat Labour leader "Sir Crasheroonie-snoozefest Keir Starmer" at the next general election.

Read more: Boris Johnson claims UK would be 'gravitationally sucked into EU's orbit' under Labour

This is despite the Tories trailing behind in the polls after their popularity was sent crashing by the fallout of September’s disastrous mini-budget, and a series of sleaze scandals within the party.

Johnson also defends his involvement in the Partygate scandal, claiming anyone who thinks he knowingly covered up lockdown-breaking parties in Number 10 is “out of their mind”.

Dorries also suggests Rishi Sunak isn’t doing enough to win the hearts and minds of voters, describing him as a “submarine prime minister”, telling Johnson: “You’re making the case here now, he’s invisible.”

Clearly Dorries is carrying on as a Johnson-loyalist even after his time in power, but what has she been doing since leaving the front benches? Yahoo News UK takes a look"

Dorries the... former minister

Dorries is now a backbench MP, having served as a cabinet member since 2019 after Johnson became prime minister.

She was first appointed as a junior health minister before being promoted to minister for mental health in May 2020.

As she stayed in Johnson's good graces, she moved up to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the then-PM's cabinet reshuffle of September 2021.

During her time in the role, she supported a since-failed bid to privatise Channel 4, and froze the BBC's funding until 2024, suggesting that substantial reforms to the broadcaster's TV licensing model.

Read more: Dorries ‘broke rules’ on post-ministerial jobs with TalkTV role

She was perhaps best known her Online Safety Bill, which sets out to crack down on harmful content on social media, but has been criticised by the House of Lords for handing too much power to government.

Following Johnson's resignation, his successor Liz Truss asked Dorries in September if she could stay in her role, but she turned the offer down.

The Mid Bedfordshire MP is expected to stand in the next general election, and her chances of re-election are high.

Her constituency has been held by the Conservatives since 1931, and she won a vote share of 59.8% in 2019, with Labour coming second at 21.7%.

Dorries the... TV host

Introducing her new show, Dorries said she was "delighted" to be joining TalkTV, whose other hosts include Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle, Vanessa Feltz and Sharon Osbourne.

She described herself as "someone who’s never been afraid to speak their mind" and said she hopes to put her "23-year political career and experiences at the despatch box to good use".

Dorries is one of a handful of high-profile MPs with their own shows.

Labour's David Lammy has a regular spot on LBC, and Conservatives Esther McVey and Phil Davis, co-host Saturday Morning With Esther and Philip on GB News. Jacob Rees-Mogg is also lined up to join GB News' presenting ranks

Read more: Boris Johnson calls for Ukraine to be given 'tools to finish the job' during US visit

Dorries has been accused by Parliament’s anti-corruption watchdog of breaking government rules by not consulting the body before taking a new job at TalkTV.

In a letter, Lord Pickles, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), said "failing to seek and await advice" is a breach of ministerial code.

Under current rules, ministers who've left office less than two years ago should seek clearance. The Cabinet Office is expected to respond to the letter in due course.

Read more: Boris Johnson was 'immoral, unfocused' and 'worst PM I've known', John Bercow says

Dorries the... Johnson cheerleader

As previously mentioned, Dorries was well known for her unswerving loyalty to Boris Johnson - a trait that became a fruitful source of memes.

The ribbing she's received online shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given some of her fawning comments during interviews.

When asked by CNN during the fallout of Partygate if there were any situations that would make her withdraw her support for Johnson, she said: “Well, of course there are.

"If he went up and, you know, kicked a dog, I’d probably withdraw my support for him, but no, based on his professional delivery for the UK, no, absolutely not.”

Even as a continuous stream of ministers left Johnson's government last summer, Dorries said she was "100% behind the prime minister" and insisted he had a plan to "stabilise government".

Read more: Rishi Sunak’s first 100 days as prime minister: From cabinet scandals to sky-high bills

After Johnson landed himself in hot water by wrongly suggesting Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute entertainer Jimmy Saville, Dorries remained as loyal as ever during interviews.

She tried drawing attention to "lots of things Keir Starmer shouldn't have said" and insisted: "The prime minister tells the truth".

A picture of Dorries staring adoringly at Johnson in the House of Commons emerged days later, leading some to speculate as to just how deep her feelings for him run. However, she was eventually forced to deny having any romantic feelings when she appeared as a guest on his sister Rachel Johnson's LBC show in June, saying she doesn't fancy him, even "a bit".

Friday Night with Nadine, will air at 8pm every Friday on TalkTV.