Danny Baker

blueskunk

Just been sacked for posting image of chipanzee and referring to royal baby. 

Never personally like him so wouldnt mind punching his annoying face several times , Ricky Hatton style 

Heartfeltdawn

He's a self-professed football fan who surely can't have been unaware of the regular monkey jibes directed at black players over the years. To post an image of a monkey as part of a gag about a mixed-race child born of two parents who, it is fair to say, had a load of subtle and unsubtle online discussion about them is fucking idiotic. 

TheBigDipper

He's playing the "I'm a victim" card. It doesn't wash with me. 

I do like Danny Baker. He's funny and smart. But...   We're both the same age and both football fans from childhood. I cannot believe he's never been at a match in the '70s and seen fans throw bananas onto the pitch and make monkey noises when a black player got the ball or trotted near the touchline close to opposition fans. He's a Millwall supporter and they have form for having some racist fans.

To pretend he didn't understand it was offensive just doesn't wash. I'd be surprised if he actually was a racist himself - but I cannot believe he didn't realise how it would be taken by others.

What's far more disturbing to me is how many people are defending him. Lots of comments along the lines of "Can't we have a joke in this country any more?. Not jokes like this we can't. 

Heartfeltdawn

TheBigDipper said:

He's playing the "I'm a victim" card. It doesn't wash with me. 

I do like Danny Baker. He's funny and smart. But...   We're both the same age and both football fans from childhood. I cannot believe he's never been at a match in the '70s and seen fans throw bananas onto the pitch and make monkey noises when a black player got the ball or trotted near the touchline close to opposition fans. He's a Millwall supporter and they have form for having some racist fans.

To pretend he didn't understand it was offensive just doesn't wash. I'd be surprised if he actually was a racist himself - but I cannot believe he didn't realise how it would be taken by others.

What's far more disturbing to me is how many people are defending him. Lots of comments along the lines of "Can't we have a joke in this country any more?. Not jokes like this we can't. 

You don't even have to go that far back. Everyone knows the problems in Serie A and other European leagues with racism. Raheem Sterling has been the lead example within the profession speaking out against it. I do not believe Baker is a racist out right but to actually post something like this is so wantonly thoughtless that it near defies belief. That he then comes back with a lot of less than gracious comments since getting the sack reinforces the stupidity. 

Sassafras

Never understood his popularity. I found him very grating and a bit too pleased with himself.

randella

Sassafras said:

Never understood his popularity. I found him very grating and a bit too pleased with himself.

No, I never could either.  He's always been on the box or the radio since I was a kid decades ago.  Sort of "the James Whale it's acceptable to like".

peteri

Couldn't agree with the above more.

It was a tasteless, thoughtless 'joke' - without any redeeming features whatsoever. The first mixed-race baby in the Royal Family and that's a valid image?

Unbelievable.

But what pours petrol on the flames is his 'class-warrior' type defense - 'you could hear the suits knees knocking', really?

Years ago, I used to enjoy listening to him (haven't for quite some time now) - I enjoyed his chat and wit, but how far up your own jacksie do you need to be to think this is deserving of anything other than 'I completely stuffed up I'm sorry' I just don't know.

It was never funny, any era - it was just tolerated before, but before was 40+ years ago - idiot!

Jalapeno

Liked him on the radio.  When he had cancer and after, he was Chris Evans' gag man.

Picture and comments seem very ill-advised. What a twonk !

Philly_Q

I don't think for a moment it was meant to be racist, it was some kind of dig at the royal family - or the side of them we get to see - being like a circus.

But he's clever enough - as he never shies away from telling us - to realise how it might be interpreted.  It only needed a moment's thought.

And he couldn't resist saying "guessing it was my turn in the barrel" (edit:  plus numerous other digs at "the suits", I see).  That's pretty graceless.

crunchman

He's always been a bit annoying, but he was less bad on 606 than David Mellor.

EricTheWeary

Always wavered between finding him amusing and annoying. I have fond memories of his early  days on Radio 5 but then eventually I realised he just has the same schtick all the time. 

Found the story online, Danny saying it wasn't meant to be racist but realising but was ill thought through and seemingly accepting of the boot. Wisdom given to HFD as a summary. 

I was listening to a thing yesterday about Nigel Farage and his dog whistle anti semitism. I don't know how far you can stretch the credibility of quite clever people being offensive and then saying oh no I didn't mean it. 


EDIT: I've obviously read his comments in a more benign tone than other people have! But I won't miss him off the TV and as a public sector employee I'd have got the sack ( or a high level of warning anyway) for doing that so I'm fine with the BBC making that decision.  

Dominic

You can't be that stupid not to see the racist connotation.....
Think he is particularly unfunny and unpleasant anyway .........no time for people on tv or radio / media that delight in being badly spoken and sounding ignorant.......Danny Dyer etc etc .......no wonder so many children are illiterate.

p90fool

It probably was a thoughtless accident, just like the man himself. But if it gets the prick fired (yet again) then that's fine, in fact if it was genuinely an accident even better, though I doubt even that would wipe the perma-smirk off his chops. 

axisus

Heartfeltdawn said:

He's a self-professed football fan who surely can't have been unaware of the regular monkey jibes directed at black players over the years. To post an image of a monkey as part of a gag about a mixed-race child born of two parents who, it is fair to say, had a load of subtle and unsubtle online discussion about them is fucking idiotic. 

I like him, he's a great character. The above comment hits the nail on the head for me though. I think it's one of those 'accidental' racist things though, like Roy Hodgson using a story about a chimp or something to inspire England players.

guitartango

The corporation added Baker's tweet "goes against the values we as a station aim to embody.

Really BBC ? Had it been a major BBC star then .... lets hide it under the Jimmy Saville Carpet 

BeardyAndy

p90fool said:

It probably was a thoughtless accident, just like the man himself. But if it gets the prick fired (yet again) then that's fine, in fact if it was genuinely an accident even better, though I doubt even that would wipe the perma-smirk off his chops. 

To be honest, when I read the first post I didn't think of the race angle, having not seen the pics i just thought that they'd spawned an ugly baby but having visited Twitter i can see that i'm in the minority!

Ps-I've now looked and it's actually quite a cute baby.

richardhomer

For someone who seems so certain of his own genius, this was a really dickish thing to do. Even if his protestations of innocence are genuine, his inability to see how this could play out is a surprise....

Wazmeister

It's a really really sad indication of where we are as a nation now...

We cannot remotely joke, suggest, or imply anything that slightly offends the PC brigade... or there will be righteous, absolute consequences.

Scary where it will all lead us in the future...

darthed1981

Actual conversation at the BBC (probably).....

Producer: "I don't think anyone could come across as incompetent, unsuited for their responsibilities, ignorant and out of touch as our current government..."

Danny Baker: "Hold my Beer!...."

Cirrus

Wazmeister said:

It's a really really sad indication of where we are as a nation now...

We cannot remotely joke, suggest, or imply anything that slightly offends the PC brigade... or there will be righteous, absolute consequences.

Scary where it will all lead us in the future...

A world where it's not ok to make a joke about a mixed race baby looking like a monkey is ok in my book. I can imagine worse.

fretmeister

Wazmeister said:

It's a really really sad indication of where we are as a nation now...

We cannot remotely joke, suggest, or imply anything that slightly offends the PC brigade... or there will be righteous, absolute consequences.

Scary where it will all lead us in the future...

PC in this case = basic human decency without bigotry.