People / radio
Dr Phil Hammond sacked from BBC Radio Bristol
Dr Phil Hammond’s 12-year presenting stint on BBC Radio Bristol has come to an abrupt end after he revealed on Twitter that he will be standing as a candidate in the next General Election.
Unseating Jacob Rees-Mogg from his North East Somerset constituency is the goal of the former GP and Private Eye contributor as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the National Health Action Party.
Hammond first announced his intention to stand on Sunday Live on BBC One last month and claims he told the head of BBC Radio Bristol, Jess Rudkin, of his intention and was advised that it would not be a problem but that he would have to stand down from presenting duties during purdah – the period before an election in which the BBC must give equal coverage to all candidates to prevent the risk of unfairly swaying public opinion.
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But just hours after tweeting this on Tuesday, the doctor was sacked from his weekly Saturday Surgery show:
In s statement, Hammond said: “I strongly suspect whoever made this decision has never listened to any of my broadcasts.
“Such a sudden decision smells strongly of fear. There is no political bias on the Saturday Surgery, just three hours of health and happiness with some live music.
“I shall really miss the fantastic team at BBC Radio Bristol and all the loyal listeners. It’s been a hugely enjoyable 12 years.”
You can listen to Dr Phil’s final Saturday Surgery on BBC iPlayer and see his stage show, Happy Birthday NHS, at the Redgrave Theatre on November 18.
A BBC Radio Bristol spokesperson said: “Impartiality is at the heart of our journalism. Active political involvement is an area covered by our editorial guidelines.
“Standing as a candidate in an election is a conflict of interest and someone seeking election is unable to continue in this type of editorial role.”
In 2015, another BBC Radio Bristol presenter, John Darvall, was ousted from his mid-morning show and moved to a less news-based afternoon slot in the run-up to polling day, while his then-fiancee Charlotte Leslie was standing for reelection in Bristol North West.
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