Sunday, June 28, 2009

BBC Radio 4's "Westminster Hour": Edited by idiots?

Some airhead on Radio 4's "Westminster Hour" has just told listeners that the Liberal Democrats "hold the balance of power" in Sheffield and Newcastle.

No we don't. We run both cities outright. And the Conservatives do not have a single councillor in either of them.

You would hope there would be someone on what is supposed to be a specialist political programme who would know this. Obviously not.

We asked the BBC for a comment, but they were all out buying flowers for Jonathan Ross.

Later. The programme broadcast an apology for this a couple of months later.

6 comments:

HE Elsom said...

I just sent them a snotogram, though they don't make it easy.

The Film Programme repeat was pretty good though.

HE Elsom said...

BTW, the "Dave's Friends in the North" feature wasn't produced by the BBC, though I can't be arsed to find a credit. Jonathan Ross isn't irrelevant.

Jonathan Calder said...

It was hard to be too cross with them after The Film Programme. Matthew Sweet is one of this blog's heroes.

dreamingspire said...

Even I listened to the Film Programme, rare for me to do that.
Maybe the good BBC people are on holiday (stuck at LHR T5, perhaps, after the baggage system broke), and the second tier ran the programme last night.

HE Elsom said...

Did you know that James Robertson Justice is in Pool of London?

Frank Little said...

the "Dave's Friends in the North" feature wasn't produced by the BBC

The presenter was the Conservative Anne McElvoy, if that helps.