Les vows to be back after Hardeep disaster
Radio legend Les Ross finally hung up his mic today after 40 years on the airwaves, still smarting over a disastrous on-air interview with a BBC comedian which went badly wrong.
And he revealed how criticism of his radio interview with "objectionable" left-wing writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli last September, which lasted just four minutes, made him question his ability.
Listen to the interview below.
"I was in a lot of trouble with the producers following that interview and I will admit it did knock my confidence," he said.
The interview was criticised for its awkwardness, with Les apparently confusing Kohli's book on Indian food with a serious radio documentary by Singh discussing genocide during the partition of India; and then mistakenly referring to Singh's book as a TV series.
"Radio 1's Chris Moyles described it as my Alan Partridge day," said Les.
"Maybe I should have done better but I found him objectionable. After all, he was on the show promoting his book.We put the interview out and I asked the listeners is it me or is it him? I got a lot of support."
Les, now 60, is not part of BBC WM's latest reshuffle, which will see Danny Kelly returning to weekday afternoons and Carl Chinn moving to Sunday mornings to enable Bev Bevan and Jimmy Franks join forces in the afternoons.
He said he did not want any fanfare today, not least because he hopes he could yet return to radio.
He said: "People keep saying I am retiring, but I have not said that. It was me that opted to leave. I didn't want to do the afternoon show any more, but I would be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that hoped I might be offered a slot at the weekend. That didn't happen, although I would love to keep my hand in."
"People have been great," he said. "They remember things I've said on air that have stuck with them for years!"
