back to article Trust on the slide, Chris Moyles on the up at BBC

iPlayer good, London bias bad, rigged phone-ins very bad. Those are just some of the (predictable) gems that emerged yesterday as the BBC published its annual report on 2007/8. If you want a no-holds-barred, warts-and-all insight into what the BBC has been up to over the last year, this is probably not the place to look. It …

COMMENTS

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  1. Graham Bartlett
    Pirate

    "Chris Moyles continues to be popular"

    The question we'd all like answered is - "Why, dear god, why?!?!"

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    If Moyles is popular

    That tells you more than the Daily Mail ever can about the state of the country.

  3. Barn
    Thumb Down

    @Graham

    Indeed, how someone who touts *himself* as 'the saviour of radio' and talks about cr*p for several hours every day is popular i'll never know...

  4. Ian Ferguson
    Flame

    Aaaah

    If the highlight of the whole output of the BBC for the past week has been the farcical and childish Dr Who season finale, they're all doomed. Doomed I say.

  5. Will
    Happy

    Let me fix that..

    Chris Moyles continues to be not quite as popular as Terry Wogan

  6. Eponymous Cowherd
    Dead Vulture

    Moyles' listeners.....

    7.7 million listeners....

    Kind of explains the shitty state of the UK if some 13% of the population deliberately inflict Moyles on themselves.......

    This vulture shot himself in the head after being forced to listen to the "self styled saviour of Radio One".

  7. Steve Sutton
    Flame

    Chris Moyles

    Those of you who don't like Chris Moyles, can sod off and listen to Wogan or Vaughn, or something else or nothing. There are 7.7 million of us who think he's ok or better, and are fed up of pillocks like you who have nothing better to do than whinge about something you can easily avoid.

  8. Michael

    @ "Chris Moyles continues to be popular"

    Same reason educational programming was cut in half.

  9. Ad Fundum
    Boffin

    Educational content goes down...

    "Educational content goes down and Chris Moyles' popularity goes up"

    is like saying

    "I open the sunroof when it's raining and my head gets wet"

  10. kissingthecarpet
    Coat

    Frightening, isn't it?

    I don't know if they frighten the enemy, but by god they frighten me....

    (Mines the one with the silly hat & big boots)

  11. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: Chris Moyles

    Well, I'm almost convinced by your heartfelt plea, but I'm afraid that you can't get around the sticking point that Moyles is objectively a horrible talentless tossbag. He is verifiably a twat. Scientific fact.*

    *YES I KNOW IT'S NOT REALLY ACTUALLY A FACT, STOP TAKING EVERYTHING SO DAMN LITERALLY.

  12. james hedley

    Moyles...

    ...may bang on about himself for hours on end, with barely a CD inserted for considerable stretches... but have you HEARD what commercial radio is like? Capital or Fox FM presenters all make Alan Partridge sound like Jeremy Paxman and the amount of recycled material (how many times am I going to be told how much fun it is to work out my "porn name"?) is ridiculous. Personally I've got a DAB in the car and switch between 6 Music and 1Xtra - both BBC joints.

  13. Anthony Shortland

    Chris Moyles

    Those of you who don't like Chris Moyles - would you rather have Sarah bloody cox back on breakfast?! arrrrrrrrgh nooooo!!!!!

  14. Speedy Birks
    Heart

    Sarah Cox vs Chris Moyles

    Ehm, would I rather have Coxy than Moyles on breakfast - no! But I would rather have her for breakfast Ohhhh YES! (In a Churchill Insurance voice :-)

  15. J-Wick
    Thumb Up

    Get Dom on it...

    I think Moyles is funny. As much as he bangs on about himself, if you listen for more than 10 minutes, you'll see that he doesn't take himself seriously. And he's miles better than what we have in the US.

    For me, a bunch of people sitting around having a laugh is more entertaining than DJs spouting the same clichés over & over again...

  16. Steve Sutton
    Thumb Up

    @Sarah Bee

    No, I'm not gonna argue, there are clearly times when Chris Moyles can be a bit of a twat - (not often IMHO) but sometimes it's as much fun to laugh *at* him or just disagree with him. You don't believe that The Office+ is popular for David Brent's insight, intellectual wit, and gems of wisdom do you?

    + Actually, there's something which I really do fucking hate, but I don't go around bitching about it, I just don't watch it - easy!

  17. Mark H

    Re: The Chris Moyle's Criticism

    Have the people slagging off Chris Moyles actually listened to his show or are you all doing the 'Daily Mail' thing of commenting on something you have no experience of?

    If you have and don't enjoy it then fair enough. His target audience isn't really people about to reach retirement age anyway so it may just not be your cup of tea.

    Stick to Radio 4 would be my advice.

  18. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects
    Flame

    WTF?

    "As the BBC Trust opines: “At the heart of BBC culture sit the values of honesty, integrity and straight dealing. These values... must be impressed on people on the day they join and be at the heart of their professional life throughout their time at the BBC.”"

    I only got as far as that fart. I used to play at BBC BBs. It was the most heavily censored board I have ever seen. But that wasn't the worst of it.

    They hired people to change your post to suit them. I have never come across such blatant, lying hypocrisy before or since.( I had it happen once on an Earthwaves notice board but after asking them to remove all my posts, they did.)

    I loaded all my posts to the Beeb with foul language in the hope they'd have a fit and delete the lot.

    Bastards!

  19. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: The Chris Moyle's Criticism

    I first heard Moyles when he was on my local radio station, pretending to be Steve Wright. The enormous smug plonker.

    Damn right, Radio 4. Damn right, cup of tea.

    Moyle's what?

  20. breakfast Silver badge

    Re: Chris Moyles

    oh god not this again!, in my opinion liberal hand-wringers are moaning about" human rights" again, soon we will bring back national service, oh wait, that wouldn't be 'pc' enough!?!

    Thanks, 'O-tron, more of the same in every other comment no doubt.

    It's like seinfeld, you have to get to know the characters a bit before it becomes funny. I tend to switch between that and Today depending on which is more cringey at the time.

  21. Dan
    Thumb Down

    @Steve Sutton

    Keep your hair on, fanboy. I have listened to Moyles, and did for quite a while at one point, but I just couldn't tolerate the egotistical tw@t for any longer. You say he doesn't take himself too seriously, hmm, ok, until one of his cronies insults him, that is. At which point you are treated to one of his tantrums causing Dave, Aled etc to go very quiet, then you know he's serious, and a serious kn0b at that.

  22. jason
    Unhappy

    I stopped listening to Radio1........

    ....back in the days of having Chris Evans bang on and on with his 'paid for posse' about how rich he was and which great showbiz mates he'd been out on the town with the night before.

    It grew tired very fast but it was kind of fun though to watch him and all he had created at that time, kind of unravel in front of us.

    You can only push self-adulation so far.

  23. David Austin

    Ugh

    When I share the company car with a co-worker, we normally end up nearly pulling over for a fist fight. Radio 1 causes my brain cells to commit Seppuku, and Radio 4 sends him into a comatose state.

    ..So we've finally come to a compromise, and put Radio 2 on Instead: Wogan's scientifically incapable of causing offence.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Chris Moyles

    I used to listen to Chris Moyles (since I am supposedly in his target demographic) every day for 40 minutes while I drove to work.

    At times the general ramblings amused me as I woke up on the roads (*cough*), but after listening to it every day you soon realise there is no original content it is the same stuff every day. Mainly consisting of Chris ranting about something or other or making out how how great he is or belittling other people to make him self feel good.

    So really the odd joke he makes which is mildly amusing doesn't make up for the fact he generally really isnt that funny and is mainly a self important egotistical little *cough* knob.

    And to those above who said don't listen, I haven't since and never looked back.

    @ Sarah Bee, Radio 4, I agree damn right and a cup of tea.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    BBC education programming

    'For example, a close reading of the production figures shows BBC2 has reduced its education programming by almost half – from 1374 to 785 hours. No doubt this change has some underlying significance.'

    A good part of this is because the Open University has lost its late-night BBC2 'Learning Zone' broadcasting slot; instead the BBC switches over to the wondrous rolling car crash of fluffed links, missing captions and wrong clips that is BBC News.

    Just think, generations of British youth will no longer discover the wonders of geology, organic chemistry and pure mathematics simply because they've staggered home in the wee small hours and just flicked on the TV - this is a cultural tragedy.

  26. pbhj
    Thumb Down

    fraud

    >>> "At the heart of BBC culture sit the values of honesty, integrity and straight dealing."

    Except when they're committing fraud to "improve" their programs/ phone-in takings/ annual reports (by omitting key information, such as past frauds!)?

  27. W
    Happy

    @ Dan

    Cock-on, fella.

    He used to be much worse back in the day when he did the _early_ breakfast show. He's mellowed a little of late, but it's still like listening to the school playground bully.

    I'm more of a 6music/R4/1Xtra type of guy, depending on mood/time of day. (NB: Get George Lamb off 6_MUSIC_ and dumped onto R1 pronto. Call it a promotion if you have to.)

    R2 is on at work, but after a couple of years of it, I've prefected the art of just _hearing_ it rather than actually _listening_ to it. But as has been said, and at least it's not local radio.

    Say what you like, but I reckon circa 11 squid pm-ish per household-ish for the BBC represents undeniably decent value for money when compared to most other paid for media. Let's face it, even if BBC was subscription only, the vast majority'd still pay, but there'd be a .

    It might not be perfect, or what it's percieved to have once been, but the BBC is pretty much the single best thing Britain has got going for it these days.

    Telecom, Gas, Rail... can't think of a British-anything-else that's any cop.

  28. Steve Sutton

    @Dan

    Somebody else said he doesn't take himself seriously, I just said that I happen to find him ok or better (I'm certainly not a fanboy - I personally only listen about once a week).

    I'm not judging him and I'm not particularly trying to defend him either, my point is simply, if you don't like him, that's fine, that's your prerogative, but instead of moaning, and questioning what others find entertaining, if his show is not to your taste just switch off your radio or tune it to another channel. What are you and others trying to achieve by complaining about him, precisely? Is your smug sense of superiority over people who like listening to him enough to make you happy? (well done you, if it is)

    As well as The Office, there's plenty of crap on TV, Radio, &c, that I could slag off (Ant & Dec anyone, and what about those ridiculous talent shows, oh, and don't get me started on ITV Sport), but I won't, because it's a pointless waste of time, and frankly if people like that sort of thing, then good luck to them. You won't catch me moaning about them unless you actually ask (or to illustrate a point such as this).

    That 7.7 million people listen to him (a figure which is substantially more than his predecessor), suggests that by some standards at least (even if not yours), he is doing a reasonable job. Unlike ITV Sport (which really pisses me off, because they ruin the sport I want to watch, an there's no alternative coverage, so complaining about *that* really is justifiable on the grounds that we lose out because of them) it doesn't hurt you+ to simply not listen to Moyles.

    + Blah blah licence fee blah blah: 7.7 million people justify that.

  29. J-Wick
    Thumb Up

    @Dan

    Actually it was me who said that he doesn't take himself seriously. But you're right, his tantrums do make for awkward listening.

    To give him credit, he does often read out criticisms & insults texted in by listeners (usually along the lines of 'shut up fat boy'), which gives me the impression that he's able to poke fun at himself. And he does seem more interested in playing XBox than ligging with the C-list.

    But - I could be wrong.

    Anyway, I like him, others don't. Not much more to it than that, really...

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Whovian

    Reminds me of the difficulty in the 80's of forming the correct adjective from the Tory minister Portillo. Was it Portilloesque? Portillotic? Portillonic? Who cares.

  31. Dave
    Paris Hilton

    The only reason I listen to Chris Moyles is....

    If he's on the radio/alarm which is just out of reach of the bed, the guy irritates you sufficiently to raise your carcase out of your wanking chariot, and switch him off.

    Thats why most people I know actually listen to sadio 1 in the morning.

    Sarah Cocks was "Popular" for the same reason

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    @Steve Sutton

    Well if you can't moan on El Reg's comments pages, where can you moan?

    And the 7.7 million listeners "popular" argument doesn't really hold, because the other things you also said were shite (like reality TV) get an even bigger following.

    I was going to argue that Hitler was popular, which didn't necessarily mean he was good, but I didn't want to self-invoke Godwin's law.

    And I think my other elegantly-constructed riposte may have been moderated away because inappropriate language (directed towards Moylesey, I hasten to add, not Reg readers).

  33. Chris Williams
    Flame

    Why single out Chris Moyles?

    I read this selection of ribald comments with interest: some people hate Chris Moyles and probably choose not to listen to him, while other people like him (though I'm hard pressed to imagine how one could like him more than your loud and sometimes funny mate down the pub, more hard pressed to imagine how this can be amusing day after predictable day and yet more hard pressed to imagine how it makes him worth his big fat chunk of the licence fee).

    I'm lucky: I can switch between several stations that I like and only very rarely have to encounter this playground level of entertainment when it spills out of somebody else's radio, but what does irritate me much more is the fact that Steve Wright is still around and being paid.

    When I came home from school on the bus, the driver subjected us to the broadcast of this inane, blithering idiot and his 'hilarious' cohorts, so had no choice but to endure it. When I used to travel for work, the only stations I could reliably pick up consistently were Radios One and Four -- one veering from interesting plays, quizzes, insightful news and conversation to gardeners' question time, the other chock-full of idiots like the (thankfully) one and only Steve Wright, littering the airwaves with a playlist of about ten records played over and over throughout the day.

    Now I listen to selected programmes on Radio Two and what do I find but that same irritating, dunderheaded moron continuing to deliver his own brand of arse-achingly pointless yet opinionated and simple-minded shite for the best part of the afternoon.

    Of course I can switch off, but it doesn't stop me feeling slightly angry that every now and again I have to endure a microsecond of his faux non-regional, grating voice peppered with phrases and inappropriate contemporary manners of speech.

    In fact, since this is a forum for discussion where we are free -- as so many have -- to air our views, let it not be said that I think there's a hair's breadth between Messrs Moyles and Wright when it comes to contenders for the most talentless, self-congratulatory, overpaid cocksucker on the airwaves.

  34. Steve Sutton

    @Evil Graham

    "Well if you can't moan on El Reg's comments pages, where can you moan?"

    Shit, you've got me bang to rights there! I actually allowed myself to forget that these comments were made on the 'Net.

    "And the 7.7 million listeners "popular" argument doesn't really hold, because the other things you also said were shite (like reality TV) get an even bigger following."

    No, I wasn't arguing that they aren't popular, my point was that I don't complain (or indeed care) about them, or point out how inferior or ill-educated their viewers are for watching, I simply don't watch myself - all I have tried to suggest all along is that people should stop moaning and just ignore what doesn't affect them (although with respect to the above, I think I'll just shut up now*).

    * No need to cheer quite that heartily you bastards!

  35. Alan
    Happy

    Alternative to Moyles

    Anyone who lives in North Manchester has a fantastic alternative to Moyles.

    Have a listen to Steve Coogan's brother Martin on The Revolution, top music selection, it's just a shame the adverts are shite...

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    @Chris

    Nice post - I laughed until some snot made an unplanned appearance.

    Actually you made a good point about choice, because if you travel across the country - small though it is - you haven't got much choice when it comes to radio stations because only the BBC services are truly national and can be tracked by an RDS radio.

    (I listen to XFM quite a lot and that's so feeble it barely covers its intended London area).

    Of course there is DAB, but I have never yet seen one fitted "natively" in a car (i.e. not a bolt-on dongle). So on a long journey, you really are stuck with what the BBC has to offer. If it's the morning and you want chart music, that means Moyles.

    By the way, how come you can call Steve Wright a cocksucker but I can't call Moylesey a c**t?

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    The BBC management deserve a kicking

    The BBC once again manually manipulates their sexual organs over some shite statistics they dreamt up.

    “At the heart of BBC culture sit the values of honesty, integrity and straight dealing. These values... must be impressed on people on the day they join and be at the heart of their professional life throughout their time at the BBC.”

    That quote really, really sticks in my craw. These “values” they talk about are hypocrisy in the HIGHEST degree.

    Honesty, like making up winners to phone in quizzes.

    Integrity, like allowing those who allowed the above to keep their jobs.

    Straight Dealing, like awarding said wan*ers bonuses of 100K. Or spending millions of pounds on taxi fairs.

    I’ve worked with ‘media’ types before and I can tell you that the vast majority are a bunch of self interested twats that would not know a good idea if it got in an 18 wheeler and ran them over repeatedly, while crying ‘Good Idea!’

    As for ‘Moyles’, there are only two reasons I have even heard of him. One, my clock radio can only pick up radio one due to bad geography. Two, the fat moron’s over inflated option of himself is guaranteed to annoy me so much, that I HAVE to get out of bed. He’s been on holiday recently and I’ve been late for work while he’s been away. Mind you, I’ve also been in a better mood.

    Add to that the fact that fatty also owns the company that make all the jingles for his show. And every time he inflicts one on his listeners, the BBC have to pay a royalty. So, think about is next time you haven’t heard a song for an hour, but have heard twenty jingles. That’s a fat git being given a licence to take your money. All by pressing a few buttons. It reminds me of those experiments they do on animals where they have to press the correct button to get a reward. Unfortunately, the BBC has forgotten to wire up the button where the subject gets a shock for a wrong choice.

    £650,000 per year, plus royalties for jingles. Not funny when you and I HAVE to pay for it.

    Plus, I secretly wish for the day when someone in his “crew” will get some balls and top him live on air. Ahh, can you imagine it? Comedy Dave finally loosing it and screaming “Shut the fu*k up you fat toad”, followed by the sound of all 10 rounds of a Heckler & Koch P7M10 getting pumped into that excuse of a human.

    Well, you can dream cant you?

    P.S. no useless DJs where harmed in making this post, nor would I condone anyone actually harming fat, useless DJ’s other than to deflate their egos.

    But, should an act of god/fate/nature cause a waste of air to stop living, I would not shed a tear.

  38. Thomas

    @breakfast

    You're comparing Chris Moyles to Seinfeld? In that case, the jerk store called and they're running out of you.

    (though if you're actually not a Seinfeld fan, please don't take that comment literally)

  39. Echowitch

    Alternatives to Moyles

    Unless you are willing to trawl through countless Radio stations endlessly the alternatives to Moyles is the carbon copy breakfast show DJ's who perfectly fit the style that Chris Moyles described several weeks ago.

    I.E Idiot cliche male DJ's who are the only people laughing at their own jokes, with some "ditzy" female co-DJ whose sole job is to laugh at the DJ's jokes. Although really she hates the DJ which is why they keep changing so frequently.

    I'd rather listen to Rock FM or Classic FM

  40. Jay

    The Chris Moyles Show is great...

    ...when he's on holiday and Scott Mills is covering.

  41. Jimster71
    Alert

    Flame War Alert!

    I really like the Chris Moyles show, he plays some decent music and it's one of the few shows that make me laugh out loud. Much more entertaining than the commercial radio stuff as well as the pipe and slippers wogan crowd. Each to their own.

    The PS3 is crap as well, the Xbox 360 is much better ;o)

  42. Law
    Flame

    but the podcast

    is alright - basically keeps the funny bits in, and chops out all his tantrums, rants, lies, and rudeness to callers for carpark catchphrase.

    Best bit about the moyles show is the cross over banter at 10 between Moyles and Jo Whiley.... not a Moyles fan, not a Whiley fan, but it's better than the sound of motorway traffic... sometimes....

    Still - I would rather the license fee burn, so here's the flame!!

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who needed radio 1 in the morning

    I used to tune into Kerrang radio (analogue broadcast in the Midlands digital everywhere else). Tim Shaw's morning show was hilarious, he had no worries about offending a celeb or some other humourless blob[1] (who inevitably took themselves too seriously) during an interview. Sadly, they fired him for some sort of competition irregularities, but then if you were ringing into the show to try and win some cash there was a 90% chance the piss was going to get taken out of you.

    Ah well, beyond Kerrang I still don't listen to Chris Moyles, I guess his reputation preceeds him. Get yourself a nice MP3 player and FM transmitter instead.

    [1] Long gone are the days of someone being interviewed for insight and entertainment, they've always got to be plugging some worthless crap these days.

  44. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    But what about me?

    It's not fair.

    "Pad" gets to hypothetically pop a cap in Moyles' lardy butt with a Heckler & Koch P7M10, but I can't call him a c**t.

    What are El Reg moderation rules anyway? Are there any?

  45. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: But what about me?

    We've got a loose set of rules and I'm working on a guide to 'em, EG, but the one rule is that we reject what we want to reject, in the end. However - the c-word is a good way to get binned right away. We have to think of other people's work filters and all that. Sorry.

    Not that I disagree in this instance, nor that it offends me personally, but we've got to have some standards, innit.

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    @ But what about me?

    Just use great British insults like: knob, plonker, twat, berk, eejit, muppet, numpty (one of my personal favs), pillock, wally etc etc

    This way you sound oh so cool (*cough*), you confuse Americans and you still get to refer to Chris Moyles as the c**t he is but in a slightly more work safe way.

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Confused

    Surely adults should be listening to the Today programme in the morning?

  48. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Radio gaga

    I choose between several channels (Radio 1,2,3,4 & Classic FM mostly) depending on what mood I'm in driving to/from work. One thing I have noticed though is just about every time I turn to Radio 3 there is either complete silence or some tuneless jarring modern work that makes me reach for the dial once more. I can listen to Classic FM for a while until either the stupid inane adverts or the patronising presenters (Jane Jones: here's a lovely wovely tune for all you lovely wovely lucky listeners etc..) but would love something with a style in-between those two poles..

    Boffin cos I are one

  49. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Cheers for straightening me out

    I now know that in future, all celebrities I find obnoxious (and the list is long) will be dealt with on El Reg's comments boards by my trusty Heckler and Kochsucker.

  50. The Mighty Spang
    Pirate

    "Steve Wright is still around and being paid"

    I had the misfortune to share a 1st class carridge with this puddle of piss a few years ago on my way to work.

    sat next to him was what i suspect was his producer (or it might have been his boyfriend, i've no idea which side he plays for) but for an hour i was treated to him reading something from newspaper, saying something about it loudly, and the other bloke setting him straight about the background to the story or something like that.

    for an hour.

    i was not a happy bunny.

  51. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse
    Stop

    Hmmm where to start...

    1. Moyles is a twat who appeals to the lowest common denominator. End of debate.

    2. If he is so good at talking between records, how come he has to surround himself with so many sycophantic imbeciles?

    3. I'd rather have Sarah Cox do a breakfast show than the alternative which is Sarah "I'm stuck in the fucking 1930s" Kennedy on Radio 2.

  52. jim

    I'm with dan from waaaay up there...

    Yeah, I had the misfortune of listening to Chris Moyles a few years ago most days for a few months (not by choice, my parents did for some innate reason.) Anyone who thinks he doesn't take himself seriously either a) hasn't heard enough yet or b) is as bad as he is.

    Absolute tosser.

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