Legendary BBC broadcaster John Humphrys has unleashed a scathing critique of the presenters on his former stomping ground on BBC Radio 4. In a new column, Humphrys, 82, blasts the Today show presenters, saying their communication style leaves him "harrumphing" at the radio.
Humphrys had been the face of the Today show for an impressive three decades, earning a notoriously forthright interview style that sometimes made booking guests a challenge. He now acknowledges that the show's chief presenters, Justin Webb, Nick Robinson, and Amol Rajan, are "as good as they come." However, their style of communication has rubbed Humphrys the wrong way.
A prime example, he writes, is Amol Rajan's insistence on emphasizing definite and indefinite articles in every sentence. Humphrys also expresses his disdain for airtime being clogged up with "gushing" thanks before the meat of the interview. Some presenters, he notes, are more guilty than others.
Humphrys also takes aim at filler words such as "y'know" and "I mean," which he says are an annoyance on the airwaves. He concludes his diatribe by saying, "Otiose? Almost always. Irritating? Profoundly. But would I really die on this hill? Possibly not. Then again… y'know?"
Humphrys has had a long and storied career with the BBC, joining the corporation in 1966 and helming the Today show for three decades. He has also presented the quiz show Mastermind and has been one of the BBC's highest-paid earners, taking home nearly £1 million for both his radio work and Mastermind in 2017.
