Broadcasters of a certain age criticising the ‘yoof of today’ is hardly a new thing. But Newsnight’s chief politician botherer Jeremy Paxman seems to be making something of a long-term career out of it. This time, he’s taking a swipe at our music choices. Namely: Radio 1 and 1Xtra. Look away now, Grimmy.
Hot on the loafers of calling out Millenials for being ‘self-obsessed and hedonistic’ (read: spirited and having a laugh) at a Dubai literature festival, now Paxman is dissing the soundtrack played in the BBC lifts. Clearly you haven’t experienced true hardship until you’ve travelled from floor to floor at BBC HQ as he described 'standing in a lift that has Radio 1Xtra plumbed into it' as 'hell.' Either that, or Jez has so far enjoyed a very sheltered life.
He goes on to say: 'I don’t quite understand why the BBC does Radio 1Xtra.' Charming. Given the recent re-homing of youth-oriented BBC Three moving off our tellys and becoming available online only, it’s a worry that white middle-class male TV bods have now started decrying a radio station marketed as the home of 'new black music.' We hate to be the ones to tell him this – but he could always just not listen to it.
Elsewhere, the now 60-something Pan's People dance troupe have been shaming Miley and Rihanna for 'pushing it too far.' If you're not familiar with their work, these are the dancers who flashed their legs and various other body parts to the family audiences of Top Of The Pops in the ’70s. Shocking, no? Apparently not compared to today's pop stars. For some reason, all we can think about right now are pots and kettles.
Happily, it didn’t take long for somebody to call out Jeremy Paxman on such blatant youth shaming. That somebody being Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper, who responded by email to 63-year-old Paxman (who has hopefully read up on this whole interweb thing by now).
We may have worded things slightly differently if we’d been him, but respect to Ben regardless for the email which opened with: ‘Dear, Jeremy, I read with interest your views on BBC Radio 1 and 1 Xtra. I am controller of both.’ He then goes on to add: ‘Clearly you are entitled to your view, but please consider who and what you effect [sic] when you express those views’ before fiercely defending his stations. His (very valid) point being, 'If the licence fee is collected from everyone, then the BBC should represent the whole of society, not just certain parts of it.' Quite.
Yes, yes we know that being a rent-a-gob is essentially Jeremy Paxman’s thing. But as we await his next youth-bashing tirade, let’s take a moment to enjoy the closing line of Mr Cooper’s email: ‘If all this falls on deaf ears then my only other suggestion is to take the stairs.’
You should try it once in a while, Paxo. We’ve been doing it for years to escape the plinky whale music usually fed through corporate lifts. Or you could get this thing called an iPod, which is essentially a personalised lift soundtrack. You are welcome.
Follow Tracy on Twitter @Tracy_Ramsden
Pictures: Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.