Farewell, Judy... we’ll miss the chemistry of you and Richard live

HAPPY retirement, Judy Finnigan. Years ago, I appeared on her teatime show with Richard Madeley, and was able to witness their teamwork close up.

I had been booked to discuss Page 3, along with a stunning Page 3 model. Sitting us side by side on the sofa seemed unnecessarily tactless – we looked like the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures for an advert for transformative cosmetic surgery.

For a while our interview seemed to consist of three women listening to Richard opine on topless modelling and feminism.

Then, suddenly, Judy, pictured, realised what he was doing, flashed him The Look and wrestled the topic from him so we could all have a kick at the ball. Their chemistry is one of those extraordinary and volatile compounds found only in nature and makes you wonder how Judy, now a successful novelist, can decide to choose books over a return to the invigorating whiteknuckle ride that is Richard live.

Not long ago her Alan Partridge of a husband was steering two hours of cheery morning radio, while reading out listeners’ letters and emails.

One suggested, innocuously, that on icy mornings, drivers should be reminded to slow down.

‘The problem with driving slowly is that pedestrians think you’re slowing down to let them cross,’ said Richard, blithely. ‘I nearly killed three people this week. Here’s Take That...’