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John Humphrys being investigated - BBC

After Dinner Speech being questioned (September 2005)

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DV
DVB Cornwall
Not much on TV these days but a 'big player' on radio -

Quote:
BBC chairman Michael Grade has ordered an investigation after claims that Today presenter John Humphrys mocked politicians in an after-dinner speech.

The Times newspaper said the Radio 4 broadcaster made remarks about Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and John Prescott in the speech, which was given in June.

A BBC spokesman said Mr Grade had asked director general Mark Thompson for a full report on the claim.


more ....

BBC News - TV and Radio
TR
TROGGLES
Looks like the night of the long knives
IN
intheknow
The Times report:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-1762604,00.html

The Times also put online the videotape, its at:
http://exodus.interoutemediaservices.com/deliverMedia.asp?id=34ad1bca-bad4-480f-88e8-1cf99ae1dc2b&delivery=stream
ST
stuartfanning
Only part of Humphrys 'speech' is online.
DU
Dunedin
Having watched the clip from the above link, he's just a stupid old man delivering a very poor standup routine.

There's nothing there that will have him in front of the director of radio begging to keep his job.

But I think he should give up the comedy routine for the sake of everyone else. I mean come on- using the Bush line about "more and more of our imports coming from abroad" is painfully out of date. The lack of crowd reaction on the tape suggests it was either a small do, or as I suspect, he went down like a lead balloon.

Really, "Today" will be in so much better a position once this muppet hangs up his microphone.
MM
MonkeyMadness
It was an after dinner speech, from experience these things can go on for hours. Who cares that he spent about 4 minutes criticising the government. He'd have done the same if he was on a BBC programme like Have I got news for you?
MA
Marcus Founding member
MonkeyMadness posted:
It was an after dinner speech, from experience these things can go on for hours. Who cares that he spent about 4 minutes criticising the government. He'd have done the same if he was on a BBC programme like Have I got news for you?


Indeed. And no surprise that this fuss is being kicked up by a Murdoch paper. No doubt a favour returned to the goverment
JA
jamesmd
oh Marcus, you seem to forget, the Murdoch organisation is the government. so many Britons are unable to think for themselves they let the Scum vote for them
BA
Bacchic
Dunedin posted:
he's just a stupid old man


He's got more intelligence in his fingernail clippings than you have in what passes for your brain, sonny.
JG
Joanna Gosling Fan
Greetings all; I make my first post of all, having read this forum for over a year.

Some of what Humphrys said was of course rather banal (I have heard the anecdote about Bush saying "more and more of our imports are coming from abroad", or whatever it is, hundreds of times), but other parts were quite amusing, such as the one about Gordon Brown making five points. The comment about Robin Cook seems somewhat inappropriate now that he is dead, though of course Humphrys wasn't to know.

As for implying all politicians are liars, he didn't exactly do that. What he said was that those politicians who are absolutely honest will never succeed - which is perfectly correct, since being brutally honest is often politically impossible in our imperfect world. There is a difference between outright lying and evasion of the truth, of course - the former being practised by politicians only occasionally (because it is so risky); the latter, all the time.
MA
Marcus Founding member
Humphrys hits back

Media Guardian
DV
DVB Cornwall
BBC's response -

BBC Radio 4 Today's presenter John Humphrys has been censured by the BBC over comments he made about politicians in an after-dinner speech.
An inquiry, ordered by chairman Michael Grade, into comments reported in The Times newspaper found they were "inappropriate and misguided".

Humphrys' speech, given in June, criticised Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

The Today host has undertaken to adhere to the BBC's policies and values and no further action will be taken.

The BBC concluded his comments could be used to question his and the corporation's impartiality.

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