James Whale speaks out against Twitter, litter and politicians (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

James Whale speaks out against Twitter, litter and politicians

5:03pm Thursday 27th January 2011 in Interviews By Melanie Dakin

Headline grabber Andy Gray might care to take a leaf out of pioneer broadcaster James Whale’s book. The former TalkSPORT radio presenter took a breather of just a few months before bouncing back on air – on LBC.

These days James is much in demand with his drivetime radio show, as well as appearing on Eamonn Holmes’ Sunrise newspaper review show for Sky News. James returns to The Radlett Centre with his Audience With show this month.

So there is definitely life in the media after getting the sack, although James points out his supposed comments urging listeners to vote for new London Mayor Boris Johnson which led to his dismissal from TalkSPORT were “taken out of context” and “tongue in cheek”.

James also reminds me his comments were made on-air, while Andy’s were not.

“I wouldn’t dream of giving Andy Gray any advice at all,” says James. “Whenever I’m in a studio wearing a mic I’m careful not to say anything. I got in trouble for saying something on the air that I was later found not to have said.

“It’s a bit of a worry. We all have discussions in the pub or say things at home we probably don’t mean. I can’t believe anyone seriously thinks that your gender has anything to do with the offside rule. I don’t even know what it is.”

I wouldn’t dream of giving Andy Gray any advice. I’m careful not to say anything

James Whale

I ask James if experience has taught him to be more careful with what he says.

“I don’t think I ever thought I wasn’t careful. I talk for 20 hours, five days a week and I may say something that will upset people or something people don’t agree with but I do a different programme now. It’s a series of news programmes where the output is more tightly regulated.”

It appears the legendary shock jock, winner of three Sony Radio Awards and You TV’s Current Affairs Broadcaster of the Year, is more concerned these days with causes than controversy.

One of these is very close to his heart. The James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer offers advice and supports research into the causes, prevention and treatment of the disease that robbed him of a kidney. Far from mellowing, James tells me having cancer has made him “more short-tempered”.

“It makes you aware of how tenuous life is and that it actually ends at some point. I was concerned I might get mellow so I got a surgeon live on air to talk me through the procedure.”

Readers will be comforted to know he has a long list of things he’d like put right in the world.

First up is Twitter: “It’s for people who’ve got nothing better to do with their lives than tweet what they had for dinner.”

Other bugbears are the frequency with which his litter is collected and he’s really got it in for “whoever is responsible for not clearing the appalling tents around Parliament.”

Unsurprisingly politics is top of the list: “Politicians are supposed to be there to make our lives better. They are public servants and they seem to forget that. We’re living in a strange time where nobody has risen above the parapet enough so you either love them or hate them. I’m interviewing Ed Milliband later and I’m hoping he is the one.”

The Radlett Centre, Aldenham Avenue, Radlett on Saturday, February 5 at 8pm. Details: 01923 859291