Peter Rhodes on balance bikes, romping on TV and an embarrassing moment with Auntie Beeb
Some readers wondered why commentators spent so much time condemning the BBC's refusal to use the word “terrorist,” as though it doesn't matter. But it does.
It matters because the BBC should deal honestly with its viewers and not treat them as idiots. In a world where nothing matters more than trust, the BBC was found lacking last week. As a new week starts, let's hope Auntie gets a grip.
Incidentally, there is no truth in one reader's scandalous assertion that I have a downer on the BBC because they rejected me for a job.
Admittedly, there was that embarrassing moment in 1981 when, all young and ambitious, I was interviewed for a post on Radio WM. It was going well until the executive heading the panel referred to my background as a columnist and said: “Of course you wouldn't be able to express opinions on the BBC because we are impartial.” I assumed he was joking and laughed out loud. That was the end of my glittering career with Auntie. I think it all turned out for the best.
