BBC radio stars merit gratitude, not abuse

THE ABUSE aimed at radio commentators Ian Dennis, John Murray and Alistair Bruce-Ball, who have no connection with Match of the Day, and did their jobs over the weekend, was nothing more than the ugly, irrational, misguided ranting of a mob. Dennis, Murray and Bruce-Ball represent the best of BBC Sport. They are its finest radio commentators and its best operators, professional to their core, loyal, committed, knowledgeable, informed and wonderful to listen to. A car journey spent in the company of one of their commentaries is a journey enriched and a slice of life enhanced. Dennis, Murray and Bruce-Ball were not being disloyal to Lineker — who won a humiliating climbdown from the corporation on Monday — any more than Carol Kirkwood was being disloyal to him by doing the weather report on BBC Breakfast. The idea that they were undermining Lineker in any way is patently absurd. In fact, it seemed rather ironic that in the midst of an argument that was partly about free speech, some were trying to impose a tyranny of silence on other broadcasters. Of course, there were some with no connection to Match of the Day who chose to posture anyway lest they miss the opportunity for some reflected virtue. Dennis, Murray and Bruce-Ball, who work on staff contracts at the BBC anyway, fulfilled their obligations to their listeners and, like hundreds of thousands of others of their devotees, I was grateful to them for that.