I have been a fan of the BBC’s Brexitcast/Newscast for more than a year now. I listen to almost every episode as part of my walking habit. I find that their in-depth treatment of issues is less sensationalist than much of the news and also reveals the workings behind the scenes of being a newscaster (last year’s election coverage via this medium was particularly interesting).
This week I had a rare foray onto Twitter on Monday, announcing to the presenters of said Brexitcast that I had awoken that morning with an ear-worm of their presenter Katya Adler saying ‘Ursula von der Leyen’. I noticed that a few people had seen the Tweet, but not many. Must try harder. Fair enough.
So imagine my surprise when I tuned into the latest episode of Brexitcast on Tuesday (recorded on Monday evening) as I set off for my daily stomp around the neighbourhood and heard my name, followed by the full text of the Tweet read out by Adam Fleming. I was pleased to hear that it raised a laugh from the other presenters (Chris Mason and Katya Adler) and that Katya gave me a special rendition of Ursula on air. I was only a few steps away from my house by this time and simply had to rush home and play it to Mr J, who is a less avid fan but has followed the weekly TV versions of this podcast on and off.
I am, of course, pleased at the fame and recognition (haha). Slightly worried too, that I was Tweeting the truth, rather than for amusing effect – although of course I was pleased to practice my comedy writing by coincidence.
Here is the episode – I’m at 45 seconds from the beginning.