Former BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter John Humphrys has paid tribute to his former editor Rod Liddle, describing him as “one of a kind” after Liddle died at the age of 66 following a short illness.
Humphrys' tribute
Speaking on Radio 4’s PM show, Humphrys, 82, who remained friends with Liddle after he left the BBC, said: “He was an extraordinary journalist, a remarkable man, an utterly brilliant and bonkers editor.”
“You never ever knew what to expect from Rod, but my god he had a brain, and he lived radio, live radio, he loved the job, which makes it all the more bizarre, in one sense, that he effectively sacked himself from being editor of the Today programme – but that’s Rod for you.”
Career highlights and controversies
Liddle was a high-profile columnist for The Sunday Times, The Sun, and The Spectator, and also hosted a show on Times Radio. He was the editor of the Today programme when he hired Andrew Gilligan, whose 2003 report claimed the UK government “sexed up” its dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Liddle left the BBC before Gilligan’s report was broadcast.
Liddle was no stranger to controversy. In 2010, a complaint was upheld by the Press Complaints Commission after he claimed on the Spectator website that the “overwhelming majority” of violent crime in London was carried out by young Afro-Caribbean men. He was also a vocal critic of Lord Hutton’s report into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
Family and colleagues' tributes
Liddle’s children, Wilder, Tyler and Emmy, said they were “very saddened and shocked at the sudden passing of our wonderful father”. They added: “He raised us much as you might imagine, to be inquisitive, brave and always humorous.”
Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News UK, said: “Everyone at News UK is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of Rod Liddle. Rod was an inimitable journalistic force, brilliant, provocative and immensely talented, whose sharp wit and uncompromising voice graced our pages and airwaves for decades.”
Justin Webb, the long-standing Today presenter, said: “He was in many respects the complete opposite of the image that he liked to portray. He cared deeply about people and about civilised behaviour.” Former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie called Liddle “a free spirit in a controlled world”.
Personal life and later years
Liddle also made headlines for his colourful private life, including a public war of words with his former partner Rachel Royce over his affair with Alicia Munckton. He later presented a programme about infidelity, arguing that men are genetically pre-programmed to be unfaithful.
In 2012, The Spectator was prosecuted for breaching a court order over an article written by Liddle during the trial of Stephen Lawrence’s killers. The magazine paid a fine of £3,000 plus £2,000 in compensation. In 2019, Liddle used his column to suggest planning elections for a time when Muslims cannot vote, and appeared to mock Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who later paid tribute to him on X, saying he was “a larger than life ‘Marmite’ character, controversial, sometimes infuriating, but terribly witty, sharp and fun”.
Liddle died at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening.
