John Humphrys

All the nines today – 19.09.19 in the UK and 09.19.19 in the USA. Strange number nine, isn't it. Multiply nine by something and the figures will add to nine. For example 9 x 9 = 81. 8 + 1 = 9. Try it: 4 X 9 = 36. 3 + 6 = 9. Or to be difficult 9 x 184 = 1656. Add those together = 18 and those together? = 9.

There we go work that into a code or a crossword clue.

It is a sad day today for British Broadcasting.

John Humphrys decided to hang his writing and interviewing boots up – who's he? I can hear you say, you who only hear background music from your radios in the background of your very busy life, maybe not even listening to the music.

I remember entering a friend's house (not you, he doesn't read this) and he was sitting waiting for me and I could hear Take Five by Dave Brubeck being played. A great piece of modern jazz from my youth, in fact it was so long ago it should be called Was Modern Jazz.

Dave Brubeck, I said, I love him. Then I told him that when he was at The Hollywood Bowl the other four members of his quintet were held up in New York, and four local musicians in LA filled in for them as it didn't make any difference to Dave.

My pal said Dave who?

Brubeck, I said.

Oh, I haven't heard of him.

That's what was playing when I came in, I said.

Well there we go.

So back to John Humphrys, that well known spelling mistake.

He retired today from the flagship Radio 4 current affairs programme on BBC Radio. Radio 4 is my favourite station and is similar to NPR in America; the Today Programme is similar to Morning Edition and later on they have shows like All Things Considered plus lots of news and art shows.

John Humphrys was one of the half a dozen or so presenters but some of the current politicians would never be interviewed by him as they were scared. He would ask the right questions and interrupt if they didn't or just wouldn't answer his questions.

I have 'seen' footage of him interviewing Gerry Adams who was supposed to be in the IRA and he was challenging him to answer; he didn't know whether Adams was a gunman or what (as it happens he wasn't) but Humphrys stood his ground. It was the same with others – he was a young lad when he covered the Indian/Pakistan War, the first man to the Aberfan Disaster, in Wales, which was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the village and 144 people died; most of them school children.

So it's sad he's gone on to other things.

I'm not sure if I'd like him though - who knows?

NPR, by the way, is on my computer at the moment and I hear that the USA are holding $160 million from Afghanistan. Is there anywhere where Trump doesn't want to upset? California yesterday and Afghanistan today.