Legendary presenter John Humphrys has lashed out at Radio 4 Today presenters, declaring that the programme has become profoundly irritating since he exited the morning news and current affairs show.
The 82-year-old joined the BBC in 1966, going on to present flagship properties like Radio 4’s Today and Mastermind, before he left the broadcaster in 2021.
“Having been the one on the radio informing (and possibly sometimes annoying) the listeners for 33 years, I’m now the man shouting at his radio about how irritating the programme has become,” Humphrys wrote in The Guardian.
The presenter acknowledged that the show’s three main presenters - Justin Webb, Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan - are “as good as they come” but the way they communicate makes him harrumph at the radio.
“A prime example would be Amol Rajan’s insistence on emphasising, without fail, the definite and indefinite articles in any given sentence,” he wrote. “In his world, “A” bomb has exploded in “THE” palace of Westminster.”
In January, Rajan announced he was leaving the Today programme to build his own production company. His replacement is yet to be announced.
Humphrys also expressed his dislike for hosts and guests taking up time on air “gushing” with thanks before their interview, rather than simply having it. “Again, some presenters are more guilty than others,” he noted.
The 82-year-old broadcaster said he was also irked by the filler words that had crept onto the airwaves in his absence. Specifically, “y’know” and “I mean”.
“Otiose? Almost always. Irritating? Profoundly. But would I really die on this hill? Possibly not. Then again … y’know?” Humphrys, who declared he would switch over to Radio 3 if budget cuts continued, quipped.
Approximately 5.61 million people listen to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme each week, according to data published in February.
Humphrys announced he was leaving the programme in February 2019 in an interview on World at One. He later admitted that he “should have quit years ago”.
The Welsh presenter now has a regular Sunday afternoon show on Classic FM, and occasionally fills in on the channel’s weekday More Music Breakfast show.
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