Today's show 10/05/11

I understand that congratulations are in order! Very well done for winning two Sony Radio Academy Awards yesterday. It just goes to show that you can fool some of the people some of the time.

Radio 2's news bulletins didn't give me all of the information that I needed though, but a quick look at http://www.radioawards.org/news/awards-2011/2011-winners/ told me:
Radio 2's Jeremy Vine was the evening's sole double gold winner, topping the podium for both Speech Broadcaster of the Year and Best Interview of the Year, with the citation saying: "A broadcaster at the top of his trade, with intimate knowledge of his subject, he dissects Gordon Brown then uses the infamous '"She's a bigot" tape to hammer home the final nail in the prime-ministerial coffin."

I think the Best Interview award was fully deserved, and you were lucky to have the right man in the right place at the right time with the right recording available to you. Had any of those factors have been missing then the interviewer and award recipient could have been somebody else. My view is, of course, that you are in the wrong place (Radio 2) and the wrong time (12-2) every day.

The Academy's use of the phrase "intimate knowledge of his subject" is interesting. If only it were true! Can you remind me how an oil-fired central heating system works?

I'm not so sure about the Speech Broadcaster of the Year though, and I am unsure about how the Academy came to their conclusions with this one. As you will appreciate, speech radio is not really of interest to me, so I don't listen to it. This is probably a good decision on my part as I am left puzzled as to the standard of other speech radio programmes that are available. If yours is considered to be the best then what are the rest like? I feel sure that I am not missing anything.

I can only come to the conclusion that the Academy are selective in their listening and did not include the non-news twaddle that you frequently discuss in their deliberations. I am thinking here of your discussions on topics as irrelevant as these:
.- Breast Milk Ice Cream - Would you eat it?
 - TV Adverts - Do you prefer them to the programmes?
 - Fried Chicken Shops - Is one ruining your street?
 - Handbag - More important than your husband?
 - Bedsheets - How often do you change yours?

 - Freezer - What's the oldest thing in yours?

 - Anything to do with polytunnels!

Award winning stuff? I don't think so!

So, let's look at what the Sony Radio Academy will not be listening to today...

1) BUYING A UNIVERSITY PLACE - Should you be able to buy a place at university? The government may allow extra places for people who bid for them, but is that fair? : Life isn't fair Jeremy. I didn't go to university, and I am unlikely to do so, and we have no children so how can this possibly be of any relevance to me? Next...

2) 'SLUT WALK' PROTEST - A policeman in Canada advises women not to dress ‘like sluts’ and causes international protest. Here women are taking up so-called ‘slut walking.’ : Well, that's great, good for them, and it is part of living in a so-called free democracy. And I could not care less. Next...

3) THE RIOTS OF 1981 - After one o'clock, a special programme looks back thirty years at the riots in Brixton, Toxteth and Moss Side. Which side were you on? Also, we play all the best music from 1981 : Which side was I on? What a stupid question. I was not there and not involved in any way, so how can I possibly have been on one side or the other? And there is nothing like a bit of lunchtime racisim to raise the ire of your listeners, eh? As for the best music, I would guess that you will not be playing anything from The Damned's "Friday 13th" EP released in 1981, but I think I will. Next...

4) PARLIAMENT AS A WEDDING VENUE - Would you get married in the Houses of Parliament? It's been considered, but would MP's give the go-ahead for you or me to get married in what has become their personal club? : Would I get married there? No, it is in London, and I'm already married. That sounds like two good reasons to me. The BBC news page that you link to says: "Parliament can be used as wedding venue - The Houses of Parliament will be available as a wedding venue to members of the public for the first time.", so I am at a loss to understand why MPs (with no apostrophe) have to give the go-ahead when, apparently, it has already been given. What is there to discuss?

In other news, it is interesting to see (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8501819/BBC-producers-public-service-views-on-par-with-religion.html) that the BBC has sacked somebody for apparently believing that public service broadcasting was a good thing. What is this all about then? I'm not suprised that you didn't discuss it today.

I'll be listening to Sony Radio Award winning broadcasters Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie over on 6 Music.