First Steve Bray showed up, then she dropped her phone, then her earpiece fell out, then she forgot her phone’s pin code, then she begged her colleague to hold her umbrella, all live on air. Somebody get her a coffee…
This morning, Victoria Derbyshire was shamed into apologising for confessing her plans to break current Covid restrictions at Christmas by having 7 people at her family gathering. The comments came in this week’s Radio Times, when she let slip:
“If the rule of six is still in place at Christmas, we’re breaking it to have the rule of seven. We just are. Joining me, my husband and our two boys will be my mum, her partner and my husband’s dad. It’s fine. We’ll do it knowing what the risks are.
We’re not stupid. We’re going to be sensible and buy a thermometer gun. But we have to be together at Christmas. It feels almost irresponsible saying that, but I don’t think we’re alone in feeling that way. We need to see my elderly mum and my husband’s elderly dad. We just do.”
This morning – no doubt under pressure from above – Victoria performed a U-turn, tweeting that her comments had been a “hypothetical” breaching the Rule of Six in a “Tier One area (medium)“. She went on to say “We’ll of course continue to follow whatever rules are in place on Dec 25th”…
I talked about my mum, her partner & my dad-in-law spending it with us – making seven in our home in a Tier One area (medium). It was hypothetical – however I was totally wrong to say it & I’m sorry. We’ll of course continue to follow whatever rules are in place on Dec 25th 2/2
— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) October 27, 2020
From what Guido can tell, Victoria’s completely in-touch with a nation growing tired of restrictions. While it’s clear the country supports measures in the round, people have become increasingly at ease with gently bending them around the edges. It is a shame to see the BBC covering up a real representative view…
Clearly Victoria is keen to avoid another one of Guido’s Expert Activist investigations. Guido would prefer this to be the rule rather than the exception…
BBC News viewers watched a debate between former Tory MP Justine Greening and two concerned mums this morning who are so worried they want the government to abandon its plans to get kids back to school next month. Guido’s eyebrows were yet again raised as the two ordinary mums were given eight minutes to tear lumps out of the Government. After a couple of minutes research readers will be shocked to learn that BBC once again failed to highlight their guest’s party political biases…
Corinne Pearson, who described the government as “reckless” and “callous”, might be hell-bent on not catching Coronavirus at school, is however happy to organise and attend an Extinction Rebellion rally in York where there “will be games and possibility to get block prints on your clothes!!” and will be “a great opportunity to see everyone again!”. Corinne is also, unsurprisingly, a left-wing Labour Party activist…
Jennifer Dunstan, who boldly described the assurances on the safety of schools from the country’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Witty as “not good enough I’m afraid” is a long-term Socialist Worker writer as well as a supporter of the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson, who was expelled from the Labour Party. No wonder she is cranky enough to not take Chris Witty’s advice seriously…
If the BBC is intent on having a debate over whether we should trust the top medical and scientific brains this country has to offer, they could at least flag to viewers the party political motives that drive their guests – as they did with Justine Greening. Guido can’t imagine the BBC’s press office welcoming this today…
Finally some BBC editorialising Guido agrees with…
In an impassioned Twitter thread, Victoria Derbyshire responded to the BBC’s confirmation that her programme is to be taken off air later this year. This follows her defiant stance on air this morning…
“Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme (which I first learned about in yesterday’s Times). I’m unbelievably proud of what our team and our show have achieved in under 5 years …
… breaking tonnes of original stories (which we were asked to do); attracting a working class, young, diverse audience that BBC radio & TV news progs just don’t reach (which we were asked to do); & smashing the digital figures (which we were asked to do) …
I’m gutted particularly for our brilliant, young, ambitious, talented team – love ‘em. And for all those people we gave a voice to. Love them too.”
This afternoon the BBC wrote to staff saying “we plan to end the Victoria Derbyshire programme on television, later this year. This has not been an easy decision.” Harsh…
The statement also gave a hint that the programme may continue in some form, just not on television. “audience behaviours are changing. Linear television viewing is declining, and as we progress with our £80m savings target, it is no longer cost-effective to continue producing the programme on television”
