BBC has treated me worse than Jonathan Ross, says 'Posh Ed' after Today
sacking
By Simon Mcgee and James Tapper
Last updated at 1:38 AM on 14th December 2008
Today presenter Ed Stourton has lashed out at the BBC after he was
sacked from the Radio 4 show – saying his family believe he has been
treated worse than Jonathan Ross.
Stourton, who learned of his dismissal from a rival journalist, compared
his ‘ten years’ unblemished service’ with that of Ross, who was
suspended after making an obscene prank phone call.
The 51-year-old – nicknamed ‘Posh Ed’ for his cut-glass accent – said he
was ‘miserable’ and was left ‘winded’ after his editor confirmed that
they were letting him go after a decade on the show.
The BBC has said he will be working on ‘other projects’, but he
dismissed that as a euphemism, saying he found it ‘difficult’ to see
what he would do next.
He is being replaced by the BBC’s North America editor Justin Webb.
Mr Stourton said: ‘Some of my family have pointed out the contrast
between what happened to Jonathan Ross over his remarks and what
happened to me for ten years’ unblemished service to the BBC. He was
suspended. I was sacked.’
He has received messages of support from his co-hosts John Humphrys,
James Naughtie and Evan Davis, as well as the public.
He added: ‘My colleagues hadn’t known, either. I had a very supportive
phone call from John almost immediately after hearing the news, a very
nice phone call from Jim and got an email from Evan.’
Mr Stourton said he had ‘no idea’ whether accusations that his accent
was too plummy affected his dismissal.
‘I was completely unprepared for it,’ he said. ‘A newspaper journalist
asked me on Thursday whether rumours of my departure were true and, when
I checked in with my editor, I found out they were.
‘At the time, I was standing in the car park of the Majestic Hotel in
Harrogate. Not a great way to find out. Today presenters don’t get
sacked – most of them leave when they retire or die. I was expecting to
do Today for years to come and had invested my professional energies
into it.’
Mr Stourton, who read BBC1’s One O’Clock News for six years before
joining Today, added: ‘I felt a bit winded when I found out and I’m
still trying to come to terms with it. But there’s no point me trying to
change that, whatever my personal feelings. They want Justin to do the
programme. They don’t want me. That’s it.
‘I’m not going to pretend that I’m not miserable about it, and it would
be very odd if I wasn’t.
'The difficulty is that when you have done the Today programme for ten
years and made that and Radio 4 your home, to the exclusion of other
things like telly, it’s quite difficult to see what happens to you. I’m
very uncertain about things. It’s not a great place to find oneself.’
Mr Stourton is off air until after Christmas but will go on working
until his job ends next September. He admitted: ‘It’s going to be really
difficult to continue presenting the programme knowing I’m leaving.’
"He was laid back but they wanted more banter'
Senior BBC sources said Ed Stourton was forced out because he failed to
respond to demands for Today presenters to take part in more light-
hearted banter on air.
The BBC denies this is further evidence of ‘dumbing down’ and says it is
intended to encourage a ‘more lively atmosphere’.
One insider said: ‘Ed wasn’t really comfortable with it. He has a more
laid-back style and what was wanted was a bit more energy.’
A documentary about Today revealed all the presenters except Stourton
had played conkers live on air. And newsreader Charlotte Green collapsed
into giggles when James Naughtie likened a scratchy recording to a ‘bee
buzzing in a bottle’.
Stourton observed snootily: ‘There were two bits of radio history being
made there – and one of them I’m sure you will recognise was Charlotte
Green.’
Another example of Today’s ‘lighter’ tone came when a new programme was
described as a ‘brand new spanking show’. Evan Davis quipped: ‘I think
he means brand spanking new show. How disappointing.’
And when Strictly contestant John Sergeant snubbed a request to appear,
John Humphrys said: ‘He didn’t return my calls. You expect Prime
Ministers to do that.’
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Sunday, 14 December 2008
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