'Hello, it’s the BBC here. We’d like you to come on our programme and be angry, ranting and preferably racist.”
All right, that’s not exactly how they put it, but they might as well. In the past six months, I’ve been asked on air to attack gay marriage, Lords reform and Sayeeda Warsi. The conversation always goes the same way. When it becomes clear that I’m not going to ham up the part of an irascible and incoherent Right-winger, they researcher breaks in impatiently with: “Right, let me just have a quick word with my editor and I’ll get back to you.”
The last time, my patience snapped. A girl from Radio 5 Live wanted me to come on air to talk about the House of Lords. We had arranged when and where to do the interview before she said: “Can I just check that you’re in favour of the current system?”
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