... so have I got bad news for you ...

Angus Deayton (Deaton) has been sacked. So it was apparently OK for him to have sex with a prostitute, not an offence, and to snort cocaine, allegedly, not proven and tested by trial or investigated by the police. However when a so called 'friend' describes legal, consensual, group sex in a newspaper this becomes a sackable offence.

So I saw the last 10 minutes of tonight's 'Have I Got News For You'. It was absolutely abysmal. Who's great idea was it to put Paul Merton in as chairman. Do they watch the show? Paul's role is an anti-authority figure. This is why you need someone like Angus - well no - you need a smug bastard like Angus to counter Paul. In fact you need need Angus to keep the chemistry of the show.

Paul as chairman is mildly funny. He does the odd ad lib, but he is a spontaneous comedian often going off in strange and wonderful paths. It is funny when it is counter balanced by someone like Angus or as in the Radio 4 show 'Just a Minute', by Nicholas Parsons.

Then you get Andrew Neil on the show. He is one of the few people able to get me to leap out of my chair and switch the TV off. Yes he is smug. Yes he is arrogant. But he is also obnoxious and not the remotest bit funny - although he believes he is.

So BBC why o why do you want to kill a top show with good rating and a good format.

Have the tabloids won?

The second concern I have is that the tabloids can now destroy the career of anyone in broadcasting. Whatever Angus Deayton did should only concern himself and the people he did it with. OK if he was breaking the law and there was evidence then it could concern the police.

OK Angus had given quite a few celebrities a rough ride, but then he was able to take the dirt when thrown in his face.

I really think that the people running the BBC ought to understand their programme and the people watching.

With that I need a lie down .