Readers have responded to John Humphrys' assertion that the Today programme has become 'really annoying' since his departure, with many arguing that the show was equally imperfect during his tenure. In a letter to the Guardian, Liz Fuller of London noted that she 'completely understand why John Humphrys should find the Today programme lacking since he left,' but added that she was 'not convinced by his critique.' She recalled that in his later years, Humphrys would 'regularly make me feel uncomfortable by his haranguing of interviewees – not always politicians – as if they were hostile witnesses.'
Humphrys' critique challenged
Fuller described a particularly painful interview with a charity representative who was treated in that manner despite being there to explain a problem. 'It wasn't helpful,' she wrote, adding that she appreciates the 'mutual courtesies' Humphrys derides. She argued that interviewees are 'programme fodder' but deserve acknowledgment of their participation. 'Why shouldn't presenters and interviewees acknowledge this?' she asked.
Other readers focused on specific annoyances. David Bauckham of Charlton, London, thanked Humphrys for highlighting Amol Rajan's 'overstressing of "a" and "the"' on the programme, calling it 'the Covid of pronunciation, spreading through broadcast media, politics and, yes, the king himself.' Richard Saunders of East Ham, London, critiqued Humphrys' pedantry over grammar, noting that his objection to 'The hill I will die on' perpetuates a 'thoroughly debunked attempt to wrestle the English language into conformity with Latin grammar.'
Readers recall past flaws
Jessica Deacon of Amsterdam recalled the high point of the Today programme as the morning she heard Brian Redhead announce the fall of the Berlin Wall, causing her to burst into tears. 'Been a bit downhill ever since, really,' she wrote. Simon McEnery of Salisbury succinctly stated: 'May I just point out that the Today programme was equally annoying before John Humphrys left.'
Simon Fielding of Wolverhampton added a pedantic note, correcting Humphrys' phrasing to 'The hill I would (choose to) die on.' The letters collectively suggest that while Humphrys may find the current programme lacking, many listeners found his own style equally grating.
