Yazza - "lefties not cool any more, say BBC"

Yikes ! Yazza's not plat du jour with the Beeb any more !

Several BBC broadcasters tell me they are not interested in ‘Guardian and Independent’ points of view. We are passé, irrelevant, annoying, elitist, too middle class and soft. Fashion moves on, the culture is now noisy and intolerant and the Beeb follows, is too feeble to stand up to ugly populism.

Many of us have-beens are no longer invited on to the robust debates on programmes where intelligent political debate should take place. Belligerence is sought- bring on the alpha right wingers like William Shawcross and bombastic Jeff Randall. Soon a Jeremy Clarkson mascot will replace Pudsy ...

Now I wouldn't take Yazza too seriously on this one. As long as there's still plenty of room for the Mark Steels and Jeremy Hardys on the BBC, and Peter Allen's kept away from the Today programme, I don't think she need worry. I think it's probably a bit closer to home than that - I'm not sure that Yazza's infamous perfomance on the 9/11 Question Time is forgotten yet.

But there are a few tectonic plate shifts. The BBCs Top Gear is loathed by Guardianistas, both for its general un-green-ness and its defiantly anti-PC, blokeish presentation. But I doubt the BBC can ignore the stats. It's one of the few programmes that gets ALL my kids off Bebo and in front of the idiot box come 8 pm each Sunday.

The Beeb seem to be becoming aware of this - and the Top Gear producers are taking advantage. I must admit I was gobsmacked to see this item, complete with John Humphrys - Humphrys ! - stealing a car, and a sendup of a BBC diversity seminar.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Peel P50 microcar - and the BBC poking fun at itself.



If you fancy one, modern replicas start at £9,995.