Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine has called for the station to stop referring to its 5-7pm show as ‘drivetime’. Vine expressed his feelings after Sara Cox was announced as the show’s new presenter.
In a tweet, Vine said: "Drivetime on Radio 2 is being rebooted in 2019 with Sara Cox who will be BRILLIANT. However I'd like to ask the BBC to stop calling it ‘Drivetime.’
“Our addiction to the motor vehicle has made our cities traffic sewers; made us asthmatic, fat and angry; and made our planet suffer.
“We shouldn't be celebrating a form of transport that kills 1,700 people a year. The programme needs a different name for post-car Britain."
Jeremy Vine calls out Jeremy Clarkson over criticism of cycling school run mum
Many of those responding to the tweet took issue with Vine’s description of the country.
BBC Breakfast presenter, Dan Walker, said: “Appreciate that Lord Vine but when did ‘post-car Britain’ start exactly?”
A great many agreed with Walker, detailing the ins and outs of their respective commutes with varying degrees of anger. Some bemoaned the state of local transport, others ridiculed it, while a number of people took the opportunity to characterise Vine’s views as ‘metro-centric’.
There were also doubts as to the impact any change would have. “Are you going to tackle obesity by re-titling the Breakfast show?” asked one user.
Referring to the 5-7pm show’s new presenter, actor Hugh Bonneville said that,“with everyone wisely deserting cars in favour of public transport we’ll be rebranding the show ‘Sardines with Sara’.”
Other rebranding suggestions included ‘teatime’ and ‘hometime’.
A spokesman for the BBC said that the show wasn’t actually called Drivetime and that this was just a “generic term for that time of day”.
‘Simon Mayo Drivetime’ was renamed ‘Jo Whiley & Simon Mayo’ after the female DJ joined earlier this year.
The new show will officially be called ‘Sara Cox’.
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7 comments
How dare you insult Baked Beans!
First the morning show and now the evening show will go downhill. Well done BBC. Wish we had a choice on subscribing to the licence.
On a lighter note, at least the smaller stations are getting better and more listeners who leave the BBC.
I used to listen to Drivetime when on my turbo trainer, it was a good radio programme, then they changed it and added Jo, hangs head in shame, I rather like Sara Cox, but I think calling Britian Post Car is as daft as getting upset by name Drivetime, there are far more important things to worry about than a name that really has no real meaning, lets call it cycletime... no wait that implies only cyclists will listen to it with headphones on and surely that is dangeruous as well, and I bet these headphone wearing cyclists don't even wear helmets, of course you could listen to it on a Turbo Trainer like me, we could call it Turbotime... no wait that implies a car again... damn
I don't have a turbo trainer, we could call it rollertime.
Oh bugger!
BBC Breakfast presenter, Dan Walker, said: “Appreciate that Lord Vine but when did ‘post-car Britain’ start exactly?”
Considering he's an Evangelical Christian and believes the Earth is 5000 years old you would think he would be used to eras starting and ending quite suddenly
I don't like Jeremy Vine's radio style but I've had the same thoughts about "drivetime". Well, who here hasn't?
I love that Jeremy Vine is always pushing this debate into the wider conciousness, he's a legend.
Unfortunately I won't be listening anymore as Sara Cox is just vile, she reminds me of a plate of baked beans.
Reminds me of an ex-girlfriend. Maybe I should have just shagged a plate of beans and saved myself all the grief.