Who is popular today?

After the PM stood down virtually live on Radio 4, we interrupt this broadcast to bring you some jarring tonal shifts, the best putdowns of Simon McCoy, and a message from outer spaceAfter a shambolic and ad-hoc premiership, it’s fitting that Boris Johnson’s time in power crashed to a halt in such a chaotic and ad-hoc way. During this morning’s Today show on Radio 4, BBC political editor Chris Mason was busy filling time with speculation about Johnson’s future when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. “As I speak to you, I’m getting a call from Downing Street,” he announced, audibly surprised, adding: “I’m going to take that call and come back on to you in just a second.” Moments later, he returned to air and announced: “The prime minister has agreed to stand down.”It was an incredible moment; the sort of spontaneous, unplanned event that can almost single-handedly justify the existence of live news broadcasts. However, we arguably live in a world that contains too much news, so we’ve come to expect a level of messiness when it comes to breaking announcements. Here are some other all-time greats. Continue reading...