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Danny Baker hits out after BBC axe radio show Danny Baker 'hosts last BBC London show'
(about 1 hour later)
DJ Danny Baker has hit out after being told his daily afternoon show on BBC London 94.9 was being axed, likening his bosses to "pinheaded weasels". DJ Danny Baker has said he has hosted his last radio show for BBC London 94.9 after learning his daily programme was being axed.
"Just been told the BBC London Show - the Treehouse - is to be shut down," href="https://twitter.com/prodnose" >he tweeted. "Saves BBC money apparently." The presenter hit out repeatedly at the BBC during his two-hour show, in which he called his bosses "weasels".
Broadcaster Stephen Fry, actor Rob Brydon and comedian Ross Noble were among those to criticise the decision. At the end of his show he said: "That's your lot. We don't want to leave but we're being told to by people we've never met who don't listen to [us]."
A BBC spokeswoman said that Baker, 55, would continue to host his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 5 live. The BBC said Baker's show was due to finish at the end of the year.
However the presenter rejected a subsequent claim he was "currently in discussions" with the BBC over another weekly programme. A spokesperson said she was not able to confirm whether Thursday's show was indeed the 55-year-old's last.
"BBC London and I are NOT 'in discussion' about a new weekly show," the presenter said. "In fact, I haven't heard a single word from them at all." Baker's dramatic "exit" followed a series of tweets in which he revealed his show had been cancelled.
He went on to thank his followers for their support, adding: "We dwell amid pinheaded weasels who know only timid, the generic and the abacus." "Just been told the BBC London Show - the Treehouse - is to be shut down," he href="https://twitter.com/prodnose" >tweeted. "Saves BBC money apparently."
The BBC would not directly comment on Baker's allegation his show was being cut as part of a money saving exercise. Earlier on Thursday, the BBC said Baker would be leaving his afternoon show "at the end of the year" and that he was "still very much part" of the corporation.
Baker's afternoon show, broadcast Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 17:00, was due to finish at the end of this year, the BBC confirmed. "We're currently in discussions with him about options for a weekly programme," its statement continued.
During his Thursday show, however, the presenter seemed to suggest he would be leaving the station immediately. Baker quickly rejected this suggestion, saying he had not heard "a single word" about a new show.
The public dispute follows the DJ's return to broadcasting last year after taking time off to receive treatment for cancer. The dispute appears to have no bearing on the presenter's other role as host of a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 5 live.
"As you may have heard, this show has been cancelled by the BBC," said Baker at the start of his show on Thursday. "It's been an honour and a privilege." "As you may have heard, this show has been cancelled by the BBC," said Baker at the start of his Thursday programme, saying it had been "an honour and a privilege" to present it.
The clearly emotional DJ went on to aim further broadsides at his employers. "Community? London? You weasels wouldn't know the meaning of the word," he told his listeners. Throughout the programme he repeatedly said it would be his last show for the station where he has been a fixture since 2001, and that its cancellation had been motivated by financial considerations.
He also attacked the corporation over his co-hosts' salaries, comparing their remuneration to what he said had been paid to the disgraced broadcaster Jimmy Savile during his time at the BBC. In a second statement issued after the show, the BBC insisted the decision had not been "driven by savings". "All stations from time to time refresh their schedules and this is no different," the statement continued.
Broadcaster Stephen Fry, actor Rob Brydon and comedian Ross Noble were among those to criticise the BBC's decision.
The dispute follows the DJ's return to broadcasting last year after taking time off to receive treatment for cancer.