Danny Baker got exactly what he deserves – Lesley Keating

Veteran broadcaster Danny Baker was sacked by the BBC for an offensive tweet aimed at Meghan and Harry’s baby.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably seen it, but if you missed it, in a nutshell, he tweeted a picture of a couple holding hands with a small, suited chimpanzee, captioned ‘Royal Baby Leaves Hospital’.
Baker was sacked from BBC Radio 5 Live for tweeting a joke about the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex's son featuring a picture of a chimpanzee. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA WireBaker was sacked from BBC Radio 5 Live for tweeting a joke about the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex's son featuring a picture of a chimpanzee. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
Baker was sacked from BBC Radio 5 Live for tweeting a joke about the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex's son featuring a picture of a chimpanzee. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Naturally, the delightful Danny has claimed it was all just a misunderstanding; a naive mistake.

Please could someone explain to me exactly what sort of ‘mistake’ Danny Baker may possibly be referring to?

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He says he was attempting to make a statement about privilege and class. 

So I can only assume that he had some sort of mental blockage and was completely unaware that referring to mixed-race royal babies as chimpanzees might be considered offensive in any way. 

Oh yes, that’s a mistake all right, Danny.

I’m not calling him a racist or anti-royalist, by the way. Whether Danny Baker actually likes or loathes the royal family is not the issue here.

But the thing I find most offensive is that he is now falling over himself to apologise, whining about how sorry he is for the ‘outrage’ he’s caused. 

Oh please, do me a favour.

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He’s only sorry that he’s been outed as an idiot and he’s lost his job.

I can just hear his agent hissing in his ear right now:

‘Come on Danny, mate. Make that apology fast and make it a good one as they may just let you off.’

According to Baker, his ‘mistake’ was genuine and not intended to cause offence.

He’d simply chosen a random picture to make a ‘funny statement about class’. 

Really?

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This, from a broadcaster with more than 40 years’ experience?

Sorry, but he was always a motormouth with an answer for everything, who spoke far more than he listened and always seemed way too pleased with himself. 

‘I just didn’t think,’ he said, defending himself. 

‘I could have just as easily chosen a picture of a baby with a crown.’ 

Shame you didn’t, Danny.

 

Instagrammers really should make their hashtags relevant

Are you an Instagram fan? I use it and follow a lot of healthy food bloggers.

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I saw a post showing a gloopy, sugar-laden and sickly dessert, mainly made with condensed milk and whipped cream, on a shop-bought sponge base.

It was tagged ‘healthy and nutritious’. It was also tagged with names of healthy food bloggers. In which parallel universe is that considered ‘healthy and nutritious’?

Another hashtag was ‘Bali’. How’s that relevant?

It irritates me how some Instagrammers gaily post pictures, hash-tagging them with what they think is popular and likely to grab attention, regardless of whether they’re applicable or accurate.

 

Talking a load of old molluscs with the mother-in-law to be

A friend told me a story too funny not to share. When she was first dating her husband, she was invited to his parents’ home. Naturally, she was keen to make a good impression. All went well until someone suggested playing Pictionary.

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She joined in enthusiastically but at her turn she was a little surprised by her ‘word’. Nevertheless, she artistically recreated it.

It was only when she noticed everyone’s puzzled looks and her future mother-in-law’s stony face that she checked again.

She’d made a huge mistake. There was only one thing to do. She scribbled out her original picture and hastily redrew an octopus. The word had been ‘tentacles’.

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