Kettners is a long-established champagne bar and restaurant in Soho popular with media and theatre types, so it was no surprise last night to see James O’Brien dining with his LBC bosses James Rea and Tom Cheal – Global’s director of broadcasting and LBC’s managing editor, respectively. Also in last night was Reform Party boss and TalkTV presenter Richard Tice, who was dining with ex-LBC presenter Maajid Nawaz. The place was packed and the wine was flowing…

As the LBC trio were leaving, Tice thought it would be churlish not to acknowledge and greet their fellow radio industry rivals and former colleagues. Tice moved to introduce himself and offer his hand to shake in a friendly way. In response, a well-refreshed James O’Brien glared at him and snarled, “No you can fuck off, you really can fuck off”. He then turned to Nawaz and told him “You can fuck off too and go and kill some people”. His embarrassed bosses said nothing about his outburst. This latest example of a foul-mouthed tirade will be of no surprise to anyone who has worked under O’Brien, who is notoriously unpleasant to junior staff…