Big Mouth Strikes Again

Has Chris Moyles lost his marbles? Or just thrown them out of the pram? His tirade, live on air earlier this week accusing his employers of non payment of his salary, was a foolish public outburst that he might well come to regret.

The BBC has always been worried about the talent becoming bigger than the brand and situations like this, where the star uses his leverage in the press to air a grievance – well, it’s usually accompanied with the sound of the ironmonger making coffin nails.

Think of the Blue Peter folk who became too big for the show or the newsreaders who were too big for their low cut frocks. Every personality – even one as huge as Moyles – who thinks he is bigger than his station or broadcaster is playing a dangerous game. Moyles already has a big profile on Twitter – he didn’t need to do this live on air, and I’m betting he woke up the next day regretting it.

What is it with Radio 1 morning show presenters, anyway? Is there a persistent virus breeding in the air-conditioning that infects and attacks common sense? Chris Evans became a monster; Zoe Ball went equally native. A DJ like Moyles who forgets that his microphone is a megaphone going out to the nation is in trouble because, whatever his problems, he is in danger of losing allies at the BBC by munching on the hand that feeds him. It’s a big job and he ought to know there is always going to be someone beating down the door to do it instead of him. He may have enjoyed kicking out but he will almost certainly come to regret his self-serving and – in a time of economic disquiet – ill-considered tirade.