The BBC's award-winning presenter Danny Baker has launched an on-air rant about his bosses and branded them "pinheaded weasels" on Twitter, after his BBC London radio show was axed.
Baker used his two-hour afternoon programme on Thursday to turn on BBC management, hours after he found out that his show was being dropped.
In an on-air diatribe reminiscent of Dave Lee Travis's live resignation from BBC Radio 1 in 1993, Baker told listeners: "The show's been cancelled by the BBC. They don't want this any more.
"It's a dirty rotten shame and a rotten way they did it. Nobody phoned me. Apparently they were planning on getting round to telling me."
He added: "I don't want to go, I make no bones about it."
Baker also criticised the decision on Twitter, telling followers: "BBC asked me not to say anything just yet about axing best show on British radio. Why? Because it's embarrassing? Because they'll look bad?"
He added: "Deep thanks to everyone who has responded about the radio. We dwell amid pinheaded weasels who know only timid, the generic and the abacus."
A BBC spokesman said Baker would continue to present the show until the end of the year, but the presenter indicated that yesterday's programme would be his last.
The BBC's local station for the capital, BBC London 94.9 is having to slash its budget by 16% as part of budget cuts across BBC local radio. Gaby Roslin, who co-hosts the station's breakfast show with Paul Ross, is also leaving.
Baker suggested that "everyone plainly hates each other" at the station, which has lost a fifth of its audience over the last year, according to the latest industry figures, with an average of 374,000 listeners a week.
He said the station was "sleepwalking to oblivion. One show had to go and it was us, it was just not generic enough".
It is not Baker's first run-in with BBC management, having been sacked by BBC Radio 5 Live in 1997 after encouraging listeners to barrack a football referee.
Baker's agent, Alex Armitage, blamed "savage cuts" at the station for Baker's exit. "He adores doing the show," he said. "I'm sure that even though one of the best shows on the radio is coming to an end, Danny will go on and do another great show somewhere else."
Baker returned to the airwaves in April last year following several months off after he was diagnosed with cancer. He went on to win speech radio personality of the year at the industry's equivalent of the Oscars, the Sony radio awards.
Celebrities came out in support on Twitter, including Stephen Fry, who described the BBC as "dickwits", and BBC 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne.
Baker, who also presents a programme on BBC Radio 5 Live, first presented a show on BBC London in 2001. He also worked for its predecessor, GLR.
He denied that he was in discussion with the BBC about presenting a new weekly show on the station.
Baker said if the station wanted to save money it should "get rid of two-thirds of the middle management" who he said were "clinging like limpets to a very great uncreative life". He said he was paid £300 per show after deductions.
But station insiders said the changes were about refreshing the schedule rather than saving money.
Baker ended Thursday's broadcast by asking listeners to applaud and told them it had been "an honour and a privilege".
"We don't want to leave, we have been told to leave by people who don't listen to the show and certainly don't listen to you," he added. "Everybody should applaud right now. That's your lot."
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment