Humphrys’ tantrum over being treated like a child at BBC

CANTANKEROUS Today show inquisitor John Humphrys recently grumbled about the ‘insidious din’ of piped music.

Now, Radio 4’s Welsh dragon is all fired up about the ‘ infantilising’ trend of personalising inanimate objects, after one of the dishwashers that rinses BBC presenters’ coffee cups went on the blink.

‘The firm that looks after the dishwasher stuck a note on it,’ fumes Humphrys in Waitrose Weekend magazine. ‘It showed a sticking plaster with a message that said something like: “Whoops! We’re broken! But don’t worry: we’ll be up and running soon!” ’

Humphrys adds: ‘It’s a bit like planting a kiss on a toddler’s bruised knee and reassuring him it all gets better soon. “Infantilising” is the word.’ The veteran presenter, 73, is rumoured to earn more than £450,000 a year. So rather than throwing his toys out of the pram, perhaps the Beeb’s answer to Victor Meldrew could spare a few hundred quid to buy the Corporation a new staff dishwasher?