Iain Dale made telling remarks about his LBC colleague James O'Brien during an appearance on The Daily Expresso podcast, suggesting O'Brien's views are more nuanced than his liberal-leaning persona suggests. Dale, a broadcaster and author, said O'Brien is not an 'out and out lefty' as often portrayed, noting he holds some fairly socially conservative views and is quite religious.
Dale Defends O'Brien's Broadcasting Talent
Speaking to host JJ Anisiobi, Dale acknowledged that O'Brien gets 'a lot of stick from viewers' for his weekday phone-in show on LBC, where he challenges callers on political and social issues. Anisiobi noted that some viewers think O'Brien's questioning is one-sided and that he 'talks down to people who call up.'
Dale defended O'Brien, saying: 'What you have to remember is that we are a station that I think has a really good range of presenters. I mean, James O'Brien is not really the out and out lefty that he's portrayed as at times... He's got some fairly socially conservative views. He's quite religious.'
Brexit and Viral Clips Built O'Brien's Audience
Dale credited O'Brien with being the first UK radio presenter to truly adopt viral clips, particularly during the Brexit debate, which helped him build a huge loyal audience. 'He's built up an audience and it was really Brexit that did this, because I would say he was the first person in UK radio to really adopt the viral clip, and he got a huge number of new listeners, most of whom agreed with him,' Dale said.
He added that O'Brien's mid-morning show sometimes outperforms the breakfast show in audience figures, calling that 'a real achievement.' Dale said: 'You can't decry his ability as a broadcaster. I mean, people say, oh, we should get rid of him. He's not bad at his job, he's developed an audience.'
Collegial but Not Social
Describing their relationship as friendly and professional, Dale said they rarely socialise outside work. 'So people always think that he and I are at daggers drawn. Well if you saw us having a conversation, you wouldn't think that,' he said. 'We don't socialise, but then I don't socialise with most of my presenter colleagues because I rarely see them. But I like to think I'm friendly with them all. I genuinely can't think of any of them that I really dislike.'
