Veteran Radio Host John Humphrys Critiques Successors for Shallow Portrayals, Inefficient Communication

For his entire career, John Humphrys engaged audiences with his wit and pointed expertise on the Today programme. Now that he’s a listener, though, he’s just as direct in his criticism: he claims the current iteration of the show has gotten irritating.

“Having been the one on the radio informing (and possibly sometimes annoying) listeners for 33 years, I’m now the man shouting at my radio about how irritating the programme has become,” Humphrys writes in the Guardian. But his ire isn’t directed at the tone of interviews—which were often the subject of complaints during his reign. Instead, he takes issue with overly flattering exchanges between hosts and guests, excessive gratitude, and repetitive persuasive patterns.

“It’s not so much the essential content that prompts exasperation,” Humphrys writes. “It’s what challenges the concept of IQ. In my new capacity as a listener, IQ stands for ‘irritation quotient,’ and it’s almost entirely linked to the way the hosts communicate.”

“Frequently, you’ll encounter a guest lavishly thanking the host for the interview opportunity. Where the adequate response would be, ‘On the contrary. Without an interviewee there’d be no programme,’ the current ritual seems to be a contest of extravagant gratitude. Some hosts are worse than others.”

He also takes issue with hosts engaging in off-the-cuff, seemingly self-indulgent banter after interviews, a habit he finds baffling. “What are we meant to think of the hosts occasionally chatting among themselves about an interview they just completed? Let’s be honest—even some of them find these moments awkward.”

Still, while he’s critical, Humphrys acknowledges that BBC executives likely have their own views on the program. “If I were Today’s editor, the impression I’d give would be ‘irritating.’” He admits that despite his frustrations, the show remains far more protected than others, noting that even in budget cuts, it’s largely been spared. Still, he suggests he might stop listening if cuts go farther.

There’s also genuine disappointment inside the show regarding the news that presenter Amol Rajan is leaving to pursue his own media ventures. Humphrys uses him as an example of what irritates him, particularly Rajan’s wearisome emphasis on grammatical correctness, such as highlighting every definite and indefinite article in a sentence.

“He has a peculiar habit of constantly emphasizing articles. To him, a ‘Y bomb’ detonated in ‘THE’ Palace of Westminster reflects current linguistic choices. My apologies to the reader if you haven’t noticed it yet, but I believe you’ll start to pick up on it now,” Humphrys writes. Despite Rajan’s departure, however, Humphrys suggests Today is likely to remain a staple for its sizeable audience, which continues to top five million weekly listeners.

“Ok, maybe a bit flat at times,” Humphrys notes, “but still a major part of the English media landscape. Still, if budget cuts turn Today into something akin to a rerun of last night’s TV program, that’s the last straw. I’ll likely switch to Radio 3 instead.”

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