No Skues is Bad Skues

Louis Barfe mourns the passing of the aged

The BBC's political correctness is impeccable, except when it comes to age. Executives get the carriage clock at 60, no matter how effective they still are, and veteran broadcasters are often marginalized or cast out altogether.

When Lesley Douglas took over Radio 2, one of her first territorial pissings was on Sunday afternoons. She brought in Lulu and hamster-cheeked chanteuse Elaine Paige, at the expense of Desmond Carrington, shunted to midweek (The Music Goes Round - Tuesdays, 7pm) with his on-air hours halved.

Despite the 50% reduction, it's still basically the same show, which means that one minute he'll play a sublime show tune or a prime snippet of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, the next you'll hear a vile Peruvian nose flute version of I've Never Been To Me. The wild inconsistency (some say eclecticism) of the playlist is redeemed by suave old Des (broadcasting live and direct from his Des res in Scotland). Sunday lunchtimes are much the poorer for his exile.

A similar bit of chicanery has just occurred in the easternmost reaches of the Corporation. For the last decade, Keith "Cardboard Shoes" Skues - with John Peel and Kenny Everett, one of the original pirate DJs - has broadcast nightly from Norwich across the BBC's local radio stations from Norfolk to Hertfordshire (all available on t'Internet now). Skues plays a bit of everything, from the 1930s to last week and some of it is music for music haters - i.e. James Last and Daniel O'Fucking-Donnell (to give his full name). But Skues is an amusing and experienced broadcaster.

In ratings terms, Skues pretty much chased all rivals, local or national, right up a tree. Nonetheless, he was informed that he was being retired. This would undoubtedly have occurred much sooner, had he not received an unexpected MBE. Fortunately, he's been allowed to retain his Monday night show (10pm-1am), which recreates the sound of the pirates, and has a new Sunday show (9pm-1am). Less Skues is bad news, but better than no Skues at all.