Defiant Danny Baker gets standing ovation in first show since sacking
Written by News on 13/05/2019
Danny Baker was given a standing ovation at his first live show since he was sacked by the BBC for an alleged racist tweet.
The broadcaster, who appeared at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, told the audience: “When life deals you lemons, you chuck them at the people calling you racist.”
He also told the crowd his pacing up and down the stage was not a way of trying to “get away from potential Lee Harvey Oswalds”, in a reference to the man who assassinated John F Kennedy.
Baker was sacked from BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday after tweeting a comment about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son with a photo of a suited chimpanzee.
He seemed defiant on stage as he joked with the audience by saying “if anyone does want to the rush the stage, I’m a Millwall fan with a snooker cue”.
Reflecting on the fallout from his tweet, Baker said: “After 42 years in this racket… I’m 62 nearly now and I thought, well, retire.”
He added: “I didn’t want to be forced to retire.”
The broadcaster, wearing an orange shirt and a fez, went on to say his show would “ironically” be about the the time his “career… had hit a brick wall”.
He said: “Topically, here we are again. That’s the last time I’m going to mention it.
“That’s the whole point of tonight. It’s the most unlikely tower, and I’m stuck in it.
“It should never have happened.”
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Continuing to speak about the issue, the 61-year-old said: “I genuinely didn’t know what the atmosphere would be like tonight.”
He added: “You wouldn’t believe how I was feeling 20 minutes ago but I’m so pleased so let’s do this.”
Opening the second half of the show, Baker said: “I’ve never been a sentimental sort. But I’m numb with gratitude tonight, I caught my wife in the break and you reduced her to a pile of tears.”
He said at the end: “I do want to say this and I’m not milking it but it’s been one of the best nights of my career tonight.
“It really has.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Defiant Danny Baker gets standing ovation in first show since sacking
