In December I expressed my horror that Richard Madeley had been signed up by 5 Live to replace Richard Bacon on his late night phone in for a week. Strangely, I haven't been invited to appear on the programme since I suggested that the next step might be Judy Finnegan presenting 5 Live Sport.That prediction has now almost come true, except it's Fiona Phillips standing in for Simon Mayo for a week at the end of the month. Remember Fiona Phillips? She's the former GMTV presenter who Gordon Brown wanted as a GOAT. Wisely, she turned it down, telling the Mail on Sunday: "It’s very unlikely he will win the Election and I didn’t want to give up everything and have only a guarantee of a job for possibly only a few months."
I make no bones about the fact that I consider Simon Mayo's programme to be a beacon in a sea of mediocrity on British radio. For it to be taken over - even if only for a week - by Fiona Phillips defies belief. Five Live has some brilliant presenters who could have done a far better job. Phil Williams has been a regular stand in in that slot before and done really well. Shelagh Fogarty would also fit the bill. Just like BBC TV, Radio 5 Live is becoming celebrity obsessed. Think back to the days when Eddie Mair, Julian Worricker, Fi Glover, Richard Evans, Matthew Bannister, Brian Alexander, Andrew Neill and Nick Robinson graced 5 Live's airwaves. The thing they had in common was that they are all brilliant broadcasters and carry authority. There aren't enough of their ilk on the station today.
It can surely only be a matter of time before Timmy Mallett and Tara Palmer Tomkinson replace Peter Allen and Anita Anand on DRIVE.
Oh well, there's another two programmes I won't be invited onto again :)
26 comments:
I thought Fiona was taking time out from, broadcasting to look after her dad, who sadly has dementia - that didn't last long then!
Perhaps Elaine Paige could take over instead.
All part of the revolving door between the BBC and Labour (Davies, Dyke, Birt, Lyons, Purnell, Woolas, Barlow, Bryant, Kelly, Richards, Price, Sixsmith, Rimmer, Bush, Johnson et al)
“Remember Fiona Phillips? ”
Nope. I’m happy to say I’ve never heard of her. Doesn’t ring any bells at all.
“It can surely only be a matter of time before Timmy Mallett and Tara Palmer Tomkinson...”
Hey. Don’t knock Tara Palmer Tomkinson. I’d never heard of her either until I saw her make a very good fist of being painted naked on Sky Arts. She was good.
In general I agree. And Phil Williams has long deserved a regular spot.
However I had like to make an exception for Richard Madeley. I had to work late a few nights when Richard Madely got the Richard Bacon gig and he was excellent ...and I really didn't expect to say that. Maybe I'm in a minority, but RM was loads better than Bacon and 20 x better than Saturday's Eammon Holmes.
It appears that the dumbing down of the BBC is taking yet another step.
Fiona Phillips can't be much more pro-Labour than Simon Mayo, surely... Can she?
It's because the bosses at Five Live have decreed that the station appeals too much to middle-class blokes (like you, Iain) and what is needed is some of the working-class GMTV audience. Perhaps you might like to take it up with @avk61 on Twitter (or even @adrianvanklav, who is sadly not the real controller, but is much funnier)
Oh, and Doug @ 3.52, I'll see your BBC-Labour connections and raise you Nick Robinson, Guto Harri, Patrick Mercer, Roger Gale, David Hass and the dozens of other people who've worked for both the BBC and the Conservatives in some capacity.
Hang on a bit....Fiona Philips told Broon to shove it and reckoned his time in politics was limited....Lets give her a chance in that case, I say. She cant be all bad..
Radio 2 brought Davina in to cover for Ken Bruce and she got slated - I don't think they've had her on again (although I could be wrong).
Also, fivelive did once change a program due to listener complaints (the incredibly irritating Victoria Derbyshire was going to be chatting about Madeline McCann for the umpteenth day in a row and was so shocked by the number of abusive emails and texts she was getting that they ran a vote for half an hour and then then dropped the segment). Give Fiona a chance for a day and if she's crap then complain lots and they might bring Phil Williams back (who I agree is exceptionally good).
The only other thing I can think of is that fivelive need a replacement for Mayo when they move to Manchester and maybe they don't think the stand-ins will keep the listening figures up.
Gordon- the BBC's moving to Salford, not Manchester. Salford may be next to Manchester, but it's a city in its own right nonetheless.
Gordon's right - bet that doesn't get said very often :) Let Fiona Philips present and bombard the Beeb with complaints that she is without doubt the worst and most irritating broadcaster ever in the history of the world.
Hopefully her stint will expose her failings as it did to Davina McCall when she stood in for... Chris Evans?? i cant remember...
How about Wee Jimmy Krankie standing in for Nicky campbell?
Fandabbydozie!!!!
All that and the still very much missed Vincent Hanna...
She can't be much worse than Campbell can she???
Methinks that Iain wants the job for himself. ;-)
Never mind 5 Live. What about the appalling farce that is the BBC's Breakfast Time 'news' show. And they're meant to represent the best in news values?
Methinks they will have lost this listener, at least for that week. I cannot stand Fiona's screeching voice,
why didn't hey just ask Phil Williams to carry on where Mayo left off?
Richard - thank you very much, and you're right, it is said incredibly rarely.
Tom - sorry, stupid mistake (and given that I live in Preston I really should know better)
GM said... “What about the appalling farce that is the BBC's Breakfast Time 'news' show.”
It’s ghastly isn’t it? At one time News 24 ran it’s own higher brow show. But that was dropped a while back to save costs; so now BBC News Channel simulcasts the dreadful BBC1 sofa horror until 8.30 am.
At least we still have Sky News.
(Or The Today Show on R4.)
At least the Radio 5 bigwigs are too asleep to muck up Up All Night. I'd hate to be forced back to listening to the boring-but-worthy World Service.
Fiona Philips also used to work for BBC South.
Can hardly include Nick Robinson, He has had nothing to do with the Tories (no formal links or donations) during his adult career. Gale left the BBC 30 years ago (even before a Tory govt.) and is hardly in a position of influence. Harri on the other hand turned down a job with Cameron and is a long time friend of Boris (I'm also surprised to learn that working for Morgan Tsvangirai is now believed to be a right-wing activity - surely not. After all it's the left who walk with angels).
There's no doubting the sheer tonnage of people associated with Labour and the BBC (Smith's sister, Peston snr). You only have to hear Marr's own indictment of the BBC's culture. Since when in the last 50 years has the BBC been thought of as a right wing institution?
As a person who is totally reliant on 5Live over the Internet, as I work in the Middle East, thanks for highlighting the station's plunge into medocrity.
How presenters like Derbyshire, Campbell ever got to replace people like Worricker, Glover, Garvey, I will never understand.
I am sure the move to Salford is beginning to have a real influence - Peter Allen is becoming increasingly grumpy as he doesn't care any more cos he's not going North. Anita is just sounding more hysterical.
Have any lists appeared yet about who's going to salford and who is not?
Dont forget 'Stephen Nolan' the stations most atrocious and talentless broadcaster - A charmless man indeed.
I detune my radio every weekend just for him. Cant understand why they persist with this rude and pompous loud mouth.
Fi Glover?!
Give Fiona Phillips a chance. Don't you think she might be a bit different on Radio 5 Live, from how she is on GMTV? Broadcasters have to fit the brief of the station they're working for, after all. She started in radio, as many TV people did. So listen in and judge afterwards, instead of pre-judging.
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