Bbc

This morning Today show presenters Justin Webb and John Humphrys found themselves under fire after they listed the guest editors that will be taking control of the show as of next week. When it came to name Miriam González Durántez's upcoming slot, Webb said: 'you'll hear from the lawyer Miriam González, also of course Nick Clegg's wife'. A number of bothered listeners were quick to complain online that she was the only guest editor to be described in relation to her partner. While one could argue that González first came to the media's attention through her politician husband, this is not the first time the Today presenters have been criticised over their attitude to women.

Just back after a few weeks away in the north east - thought I’d share this with you. I wrote a piece for The Sunday Times arguing against bombing Syria for a host of reasons – I will list them all in another blog tomorrow. Suffice to say I don’t think it will do any good, even if it might cheer us up. I also suggested that given the threat to us is largely internal, ie from domiciled Muslims who have been (weary sigh) 'radicalised' - we would be as well off bombing Luton as Syria. BBC Three Counties Radio took exception. They sent some poor sap of a reporter onto the streets of Luton to ask people if they thought it was right that Luton should be bombed (the ones who they reported as answering all said 'no, probably not, on balance').

Newsnight producers are currently facing fresh woe over rumoured plans at the BBC to extend the News at Ten slot so it would overlap with the current affairs programme. Should the proposals go ahead, staffers will need to work especially hard to pull in high-profile guests in order to convince viewers to turn over. Alas Steerpike understands that they are unlikely to be getting the Prime Minister on the programme anytime soon, following an incident that occurred earlier this month which dampened relations between No.10 and Newsnight.

On Friday morning I was peeing razor blades so I rang up the doctor and was given an appointment after lunch. The surgery was at the top of a dingy staircase in an ancient, dilapidated village house. Except for some magazines spread out on a table, the waiting room might have been a comfortably furnished private sitting room. The woman with whom I am staying speaks better French than me and she came along to translate if necessary. We sat down on one of the sofas, and while we waited she picked up a magazine and was immediately absorbed by beach photos of celebrity couples. I made a snobbish remark about her interest in such things. She defended herself by saying that she simply couldn’t help herself.

Andrew Neil is the best political interviewer in Britain. I am not just saying that because he is so high up here at The Spectator, although that helps. I am not saying it because he once bought me lunch, although he did his cause no harm there either. I am saying it because he is one of the few broadcasters who makes me stop what I am doing and listen. God help the interviewee who goes on his programme unprepared. If he or she has not thought through every flaw in their argument, they will find that Neil has done their thinking for them. He will expose their contradictions on live television. He will have a list of the inconvenient facts they forgot or never took the trouble to find in the first place, and will broadcast them to the nation.

On Saturday morning, I watched BBC rolling news about the Paris atrocities. Then I spent the day hunting and switched on again at about half-past five. It was extraordinary how little the Corporation had advanced its coverage in the course of seven hours. It suffered from the curse of ‘big-footing’ — the custom of flying news ‘anchors’ from London to broadcast on the spot without knowing anything. No one needs Huw Edwards looking very serious in some boulevard and telling us again and again that ‘Paris is today a city in shock.