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The Delay Button

Victoria Derbyshire | 18:48 UK time, Wednesday, 10 October 2007


Loads of people ask me if we have a "delay" button. We don't. Which means we run the risk of listeners 'phoning up and swearing or llibelling someone on the radio without us being able to stop it.

I've been presenting news and current affairs programmes and phone-ins for ages now and never once has anyone rung up and said "F***" or "S**t" for the sake of it. The same can't be said of my ex-collegaue David Mellor when presenting 606.

Thank god. But mostly I think it's because we trust you lot and hopefully you trust us. You're all pretty media literate and know the score, plus you're busy people who wouldn't have the time or inclination.

I've certainly had callers swear (not any of the really vile swear words), but it's always in context - they felt very passionate or angry about something and the odd "bloody" might emerge during the course of the conversation. And we're in a tricky situation when that happens - many people would hear the word and appreciate that it was said in context. But some absolutely hate anything like on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ (fair enough), and indeed might be offended. So do we apologise on behalf of those who might be offended, or do we leave it unchallenged and accept that callers sometimes get worked up about a particular story and it just slips out?

I was always told right from my local radio days that if a presenter ever swore on the radio, they'd be sacked on the spot. I've never done it. Not yet anyway. Moyles has on Radio 1, and Anna Ford said it on the Today programme once, describing a character in The Archers as a "little s**t". She probably got less flack than he did cos she's not from Leeds.

Comments

  1. At 08:00 PM on 10 Oct 2007, Jim, Clydebank wrote:

    Witty stuff Victoria,

    I dont want to see and hear less ´óÏó´«Ã½; I want to see and hear more of it in the shape of a Scottish broadcasting corporation. Two thirds of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Licence fees raised in Scotland go directly to London and I think it's a fact worth mentioning.

    When Scotland is playing an international football game for example, we get the England versus womever game on the ´óÏó´«Ã½. It's so unfair.

    I agree that people shouldnt swear easily. Not unless they've stubbed their little toe on a piece of furniture or dropped a full toilet roll in the loo bowl etc!

    Stubbing little toes on bits of furniture brings out the worst in all of is. Dropping a loo roll in the toilet bowl is probably a guy thing!

    Swearing isnt nice but is occasssionally effective!

    Best wishes
    Jim

  2. At 12:03 AM on 12 Oct 2007, Guy Herbert wrote:

    "Little s**t" could be seven different swear words, as far as I'm aware.

  3. At 03:21 PM on 13 Oct 2007, Jim, Clydebank wrote:

    Hello Victoria,

    Scotland is the top of their group for the European championship and have just went two up against the Ukraine, a group that involves Italy and France.

    Can you explain why the so called ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Scotland is broadcasting the England versus Estonia game?

  4. At 08:41 PM on 21 Oct 2007, Mickey wrote:

    Jim if you knocked the chip off your shoulder long enough you may realise that Sky own the rights to Scotlands Home games which may give a clue as to why ´óÏó´«Ã½ were broadcasting the England game.
    Which is the same reason we English had to put up with the Scotland away game on Beeb One the other night, Sky having the rights to the Russia game.

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