Wednesday 26 January 2011

Magic moment on Radio 4

This morning, around 07:21:

After new evidence of "unacceptable and offensive behaviour" towards women, Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray has been sacked. Sports writer for the Daily Telegraph Jim White, and Katie Simmonds, lawyer with the specialist sports practice FrontRow Legal, discuss whether the sacking was justified.

To paraphrase (you can listen to it for yourself by clicking around a bit here):

Jim White made the usual stupid bloke-ish comment, as in "Most women don't understand the offside rule, ha ha!" or something, and Ms Simmonds came out with the usual shrill harpy whining about how disgracefully Andy Gray had behaved and why Sky did the right thing by sacking him.

The BBC interviewer (May well have been Sarah Montague), then explained that Andy Gray was thinking about suing for unfair dismissal, and the lawyer woman butted in to explain the difference between 'unfair' and 'wrongful' dismissal.

The interviewer then moved in for the kill and asked the lawyer woman whether she thought that Andy Gray had a case for unfair (or wrongful) dismissal; the lawyer lady was forced to do a 180 and say something like "Well, I'd be happy to advise him and set out his options [etc.]", to which the interviewer responded "But two minutes ago you said that Sky were quite right to sack him, and now you're saying that he has good reasons to start suing them for unfair (or wrongful) dismissal? Make up your bl**dy mind!" and ended the interview there and then.

PS, this story might have lost in the retelling, and obviously the interviewer didn't use a swearword.

4 comments:

Andy M said...

"Lost in the retelling" is selling it short. There's almost nothing in common between your account and the interview itself, which I've just listened to to refresh my memory.

It's hardly worth descending to actual detail rather than just labelling your entire entry "FAIL", but here goes:

- "butted in" - hardly. She was asked a question about unfair dismissal, and clarified what this specifically means. She's a lawyer. To do otherwise would be to invite others to pick her up on it;
- "ended the interview there and then" - nope. The interview continues for some time.

Have you listened to the interview yourself, or just heard it third-hand via some bloggers' circle-jerk movement?

Mark Wadsworth said...

AM, I didn't 'listen' to the interview; my radio turns itself on at about 7 o'clock and I gradually return to full consciousness over the next thirty minutes or so.

So 'I heard it in my half sleep' is more accurate than 'I listened to it'. So forgive me if it's not word-for-word accurate.

Mark Wadsworth said...

AM, for the benefit of the crowd, I have listened again.

The interviewer's first question to harpie was "Do you think Sky were right to sack him?"

Harpie wafflles around a bit and concludes "So I think they were right."

Chris Taus said...

No offence with all the no one is superior to anyone, I 100% agree with you with everything you say, but what does this have to with white and blacks, if you have a problem with that, go to a forum that writes about that, this has nothing to do with this, stay topic related, sad to see Anny Gray go, but it was stupid of him