Licence payers not getting value for money from ‘stars’ - Rick Jackson

For example, BBC Sport presenter Jason Mohammed, who I sometimes see on the ‘red button’ or hosting a phone-in on 5 Live, is on £360,000 when I wouldn’t even describe him as a front-line presenter.

Then Radio 1 breakfast host Greg James is paid £100,000 less than drive-time presenter Nick Grimshaw, who is on £315,000.

Don’t get me started on Vanessa Feltz (£355,000) or Claudia Winkleman (£370,000).

Maybe ignorance is bliss, but knowing how much they earn, we don’t get value for money for the amount of work they do or the profiles they have.

Solo school run with two kids – what’s the problem?

A typical Wednesday would usually see me in the Wave 105 studio hosting the breakfast show and doing my Worst Joke Wednesday feature.

This has proved so popular that what started as a one-off has now been part of the show for almost two years. And still the fresh jokes keep rolling in.

The creativity of my listeners never ceases to amaze me. Many of them now phone in with a mini routine all ready to go.

Some of the best gags are unfortunately unbroadcastable. Maybe I need to do a late night Rude Joke Wednesday extra?

The worst of the worst tend to be on the station’s Facebook page, which is free for all to peruse and beyond the reach of Ofcom!

Yesterday was different though. For I did my first morning school run with both children – on my own.

Sarah has been rather ill this week. There is a major stomach bug going around in our neck of the woods at the moment. Both kids have been off with it and now it was Sarah’s turn.

It’s not nice seeing your wife bedridden. It’s even worse when you are trying to look after her and two young children tearing up the house downstairs.

It was clear she wouldn’t be able to do the morning school run so I took the day off and with it, so did Worst Joke Wednesday.

I’d been warned that Freddie, although very good at dressing himself in the morning, gets easily distracted and needs lots of ‘ushering’.

I’d also been warned Holly is no morning person, even at the age of three! So it was with some trepidation that I opened her bedroom door at 7am.

I was greeted with a smile and a cuddle which was bliss.

Freddie got himself dressed and off for breakfast we went.

Freddie rode his bike to school and Holly happily rode on the back of my bike. Sarah couldn’t believe how smoothly it all went.

Maybe I have the Midas touch? She wanted me to have the proper morning experience but no, the kids were as good as gold.

I bet they won’t be tomorrow!

Alexa, I think you’ll find the answer’s blowing in the wind

I’m pretty sure the creators of Alexa didn’t think the smart speaker would be used to make amusing breaking wind noises, but in our house, that’s its main purpose.

The gadget is not used for listening to music, nor for controlling the heating or answering difficult questions like ‘Alexa, what’s the meaning of life?’ No, it’s to make farting noises.

‘Alexa, make a funny fart noise,’ I hear Freddie ask. Then off she goes giving options for different types of farts. 

The other day, Holly let off a little trump, as three-year-olds do, and she blamed it on Alexa. I suppose this is a just a modern, more expensive and robust version of a whoopee cushion.