Veteran broadcaster John Humphrys has criticized his successors on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, calling their interviews an "irritating" contest of flattery. Humphrys, who hosted the show from 1987 to 2019, suggested that hosts and guests are engaging in a "gushing contest" with each other.
Speaking to The Guardian, the 82-year-old described his experience as a listener since stepping down seven years ago, admitting he has become the type of person who shouts at the radio about how irritating the program has become. He noted the "gratuitous gratitude" that seems to be exchanged between interviewers and guests.
"Increasingly rare is the guest who doesn't feel the need to curry favour with his interviewer," Humphrys stated. "Instead there's a gushing contest between host and guest. Again, some presenters are more guilty than others."
Humphrys also took aim at specific linguistic habits of presenters, singling out broadcaster Amol Rajan's emphasis on definite and indefinite articles. Rajan, who left the Today programme this year after joining in 2021, was noted by Humphrys for his speaking style. "In his world, 'A' bomb has exploded in 'THE' palace of Westminster. My apologies to you, dear reader, if you've never spotted it, but if you hadn't, I bet you will now," Humphrys said, illustrating his point.
Furthermore, Humphrys implied that ongoing budget cuts at the BBC might lead him to stop listening to the Today programme altogether. He suggested that the cuts sometimes result in the show reusing television news reports from the previous night. "If this persists, 'Radio 3, here I come!'" he remarked.
According to data from earlier this year, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme attracts approximately 5.61 million listeners weekly. Humphrys' departure from the show in 2019 was one of two significant changes, following journalist Martha Kearney's exit the previous year.
During his extensive career, John Humphrys established a reputation as a challenging interviewer. He served as a BBC foreign correspondent, worked on the Nine O'Clock News, presented Panorama and You Decide, and hosted BBC Two's Mastermind. He currently hosts a weekly show on Classic FM.