BBC Radio 4’s Today programme gave many listeners an unexpected jolt on Tuesday morning with a sudden change of tone.
After the 8am news, the show ran a discussion with a spokesman for independent advocacy organisation Cage about Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State fighter known as “Jihadi John”, involving beheadings, extremism and radicalisation.
Immediately afterwards, at 8.23am – in another high-profile news slot – the show turned to a five-minute recorded package of BBC creative director Alan Yentob indulging in banter with his “old friend” Mel Brooks.
After a comedy-style set-up, the pair discussed singing, drumming and Brooks’s career as an entertainer in the so-called “Borscht Belt”.
Monkey isn’t quite sure of the the tape’s news value – apart from to plug Brooks’s upcoming solo London show.
Brooks joked about Today presenter James Naughtie’s name, suggesting Mushal Husain should change her name to “Nice” so the show could be retitled “Naughtie & Nice”.
Monkey particularly enjoyed the interview wrap-up between the pair. Brooks told Yentob to say hello to his wife and children before adding, “and anyone else who still likes you at the BBC”.
As if that weren’t enough, the Brooks package had previously been trailed with a two-minute excerpt at 7.45am.
But cringeworthy back-slapping didn’t end there. Hussain joked with Naughtie, and then introduced Garry Richardson as someone who tells even worse jokes. Richardson went straight his first sports news item – the death of Scottish footballing legend Dave Mackay.
