I like to think you have signed The Today Programme posters at home along with all the Today annuals and some of the back catalogue on CD and cassette ;)
Biggest "WTF Humphrys" moment recently has to be when he suggested to Helen McEntee that the best solution to the backstop issue would be for Ireland to leave the EU and join the UK.
Is it because he's seen as too combative? Of the current crop, Nick Robinson and especially Justin Webb are too much the other way IMHO: too many softball questions.
Mishal Husain usually seems to strike the right balance and is the best of the bunch.
Nothing wrong with grilling cabinet ministers et al. My problem is that he plays hardball with people when it isn't appropriate, it feels like he is showing off. Also he just seems too smug and patrician generally.
"Humphrys was born in Cardiff at 193 Pearl Street, Adamsdown, son of Winifred Mary (Matthews), a hairdresser, and Edward George Humphrys, a self-employed French polisher.[4][6] He was one of five children.[4]....His parents encouraged him to do his homework and he passed the eleven plus exam.[4] He became a pupil at Cardiff High School (then a grammar school), but he did not fit into the middle class environment there.[4] He was an average pupil and left school at 15 to become a reporter on the Penarth Times.[2][4] He later joined the Western Mail. "
It's true he's become a media establishment figure, but nope.
Of the current crop, Nick Robinson and especially Justin Webb are too much the other way IMHO: too many softball questions.
If you think Nicky Robinson asks softball questions then you haven't been listening sun. Perhaps not as good at talking over his interviewee as Humphrys is, but the actual questions are probing.
Of course, they have all been letting the brexiteers trot out absolute rubbish for the last two years, but that is representative of the entire national media bar James O'Brien.
Indeed. A decent media would be doing their research and calling the Brexiters out on this bullshit. By failing to do so they are helping to mislead the country into believing that it is not bullshit.
I did like Andrew Neil's takedown of James Delingpole recently.
I have always rather liked him. He does come out with some off the wall questions but once in a while he'll manage to make a politician blurt something out that they shouldn't.
Past his absolute best, maybe, but he remains an absolute powerhouse who scares politico twots and for that I think we should all salute him.
Nick Robinson's intial questions may be pointed, but he tends to accept first answers on face value and not dig very much further, e.g. I seem to remember him interviewing John McDonnell a couple of months ago and letting him spout pure fantasist drivel re Brexit, which largely went unchecked.
That, to me, is more rage inducing than someone like Humphries being overly pugnacious now and again (though I feel he's toned it down quite a bit of late).
In fact, we need more such disagreeable curmudgeons to hold these arsebadgers' feet to the fire. Talking of which, I just watched the Neil v Delingpole clip on Lady P's recco and may now have an aneurysim.
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*Humphrys
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“I should have gone years ago” is the sort of crap an old pratner top of the lockstep would say.
What a kh**t
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Good riddance. Stupid old fart should have been put out to pasture years ago.
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I'm not a fan, tbh.
He's confirmed he's still going to do mastermind and is angling for a 10 minute slot on primtetime R4 to talk about trees.
arrogant old fart.
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Kirsty could be in with a shout- about the right experience and gravitas plus a woman.
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Massive fan of Today for over 20+ years and I completely agree he’s been past his best for ages
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Massive fan of Today for over 20+ years
I like to think you have signed The Today Programme posters at home along with all the Today annuals and some of the back catalogue on CD and cassette ;)
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Fingers crossed on his replacement being solid. Such an important programme in so many ways.
Nick Robinson still doing a v good job IMO.
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I will echo what the haters say. Cannot stand the man
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Awful man. He's made the programme genuinely unlistenable for years. The BBC should have given him the shove ages ago.
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Biggest "WTF Humphrys" moment recently has to be when he suggested to Helen McEntee that the best solution to the backstop issue would be for Ireland to leave the EU and join the UK.
w**ker.
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Oh he's retiring "by the end of 2019". Hurry up.
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"Fingers crossed on his replacement being solid. Such an important programme in so many ways.
Nick Robinson still doing a v good job IMO."
He won't even make the short list- it will be a woman you can be sure.
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yeah maybe - it is far better when he is not on it as it is.
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Now we just need to lose Nicky fvcking Campbell and we may go from zero to two listenable breakfast news shows.
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I'm a bit befuddled by all the vitriol on here.
Is it because he's seen as too combative? Of the current crop, Nick Robinson and especially Justin Webb are too much the other way IMHO: too many softball questions.
Mishal Husain usually seems to strike the right balance and is the best of the bunch.
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Nothing wrong with grilling cabinet ministers et al. My problem is that he plays hardball with people when it isn't appropriate, it feels like he is showing off. Also he just seems too smug and patrician generally.
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I’m confused - you say ‘smug and patrician’ as if those are bad things.
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Patrician?
"Humphrys was born in Cardiff at 193 Pearl Street, Adamsdown, son of Winifred Mary (Matthews), a hairdresser, and Edward George Humphrys, a self-employed French polisher.[4][6] He was one of five children.[4]....His parents encouraged him to do his homework and he passed the eleven plus exam.[4] He became a pupil at Cardiff High School (then a grammar school), but he did not fit into the middle class environment there.[4] He was an average pupil and left school at 15 to become a reporter on the Penarth Times.[2][4] He later joined the Western Mail. "
It's true he's become a media establishment figure, but nope.
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There are 2 great women on there already.
Webb is a bit wet agreed but Nick R is v good, a real survivor also.
Kirsty W is an abomination of a journalist and individual .
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I meant more of the establishment - not in the sense he is an aristocrat, but agree possibly the wrong word.
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Of the current crop, Nick Robinson and especially Justin Webb are too much the other way IMHO: too many softball questions.
If you think Nicky Robinson asks softball questions then you haven't been listening sun. Perhaps not as good at talking over his interviewee as Humphrys is, but the actual questions are probing.
Of course, they have all been letting the brexiteers trot out absolute rubbish for the last two years, but that is representative of the entire national media bar James O'Brien.
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Indeed. A decent media would be doing their research and calling the Brexiters out on this bullshit. By failing to do so they are helping to mislead the country into believing that it is not bullshit.
I did like Andrew Neil's takedown of James Delingpole recently.
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I have always rather liked him. He does come out with some off the wall questions but once in a while he'll manage to make a politician blurt something out that they shouldn't.
Past his absolute best, maybe, but he remains an absolute powerhouse who scares politico twots and for that I think we should all salute him.
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0
Nick Robinson's intial questions may be pointed, but he tends to accept first answers on face value and not dig very much further, e.g. I seem to remember him interviewing John McDonnell a couple of months ago and letting him spout pure fantasist drivel re Brexit, which largely went unchecked.
That, to me, is more rage inducing than someone like Humphries being overly pugnacious now and again (though I feel he's toned it down quite a bit of late).
In fact, we need more such disagreeable curmudgeons to hold these arsebadgers' feet to the fire. Talking of which, I just watched the Neil v Delingpole clip on Lady P's recco and may now have an aneurysim.
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