Readers have responded to John Humphrys' assertion that the BBC Radio 4 Today programme has become 'really annoying' since he left, with many arguing that the show was equally imperfect during his time as presenter.
Humphrys' critique challenged
In a letter to the Guardian, Liz Fuller of London said she understood why Humphrys might find the programme lacking, but was not convinced by his critique. She recalled that in his later years, Humphrys would regularly make her feel uncomfortable by haranguing interviewees as if they were hostile witnesses, even when they were charity representatives explaining a problem. 'It wasn't helpful,' she wrote, adding that she appreciates the mutual courtesies Humphrys derides.
Fuller also noted that in the online version of his article, Humphrys referred to 'the three main presenters' – presumably Justin, Nick, and Amol – with no indication he had noticed Anna and Emma, except 'probably, as irritations.'
Pronunciation and language gripes
David Bauckham of Charlton, London thanked Humphrys for highlighting Amol Rajan's overstressing of 'a' and 'the', calling it 'the Covid of pronunciation' spreading through broadcast media and politics. Richard Saunders of East Ham, London took issue with Humphrys' pedantry over the phrase 'the hill I will die on', which Humphrys argued should be 'the hill on which I will die'. Saunders called this a perpetuation of John Dryden's debunked attempt to force English into Latin grammar. Simon Fielding of Wolverhampton noted that the correct phrase is 'the hill I would (choose to) die on'.
A listener's fond memory
Jessica Deacon of Amsterdam recounted that the high point of the Today programme for her was the morning she heard Brian Redhead announce the fall of the Berlin Wall, bringing tears at the thought of the end of the Cold War. 'Been a bit downhill ever since, really,' she added.
Simon McEnery of Salisbury succinctly concluded: 'May I just point out that the Today programme was equally annoying before John Humphrys left.'
