EXHAUSTION'S TO BLAMEI found this story on the thisisbrighton website. Unfortunately, it doesn't say who wrote it, but I expect it may be Derek Jameson...
HAVING been there myself, I imagine Sarah Kennedy must be suffering agonies over her very public brainstorm last week while standing in for Terry Wogan on Radio 2's breakfast show.
Among other gaffes the 48-year-old presenter called the Rev John Newbury an "old prune", suggested a newsreader had soiled his pants and asked a "naughty" traffic girl how much she cost. Fellow DJ Ken Bruce was described as "an old fool".
Oh dear, oh dear. Apologies all round. Sarah's friends were quick to explain she was exhausted, not drunk, as she had had only two hours sleep. Newspapers reported the Beeb was "bombarded" with protests - well, 20 calls actually.
I'm sure lack of sleep was to blame. I filled the Wogan slot on Radio 2 for five years before the great man returned from television and there were times when I climbed the walls of the studio, bawling out everyone in sight.
Imagine having to be in bed by 9pm to get up at 5 o'clock so as to make the studio in time to prepare the day's programme. I got hooked on rohypnol - the rape date drug - but still slept fitfully and was exhausted most of the time. It's like being permanently jetlagged.
Your social life is zilch - there's a heavy price to pay in lost sleep for outings. Weekends and days off are a dead loss because you are totally zonked. Emotionally drained, too. After rabbiting on air for a couple of hours, you're not up to talking to anybody.
Friday mornings are worst because you're coming to the end of a long, painful week. That's what must have hit Sarah Kennedy. Where she went wrong was letting it all hang out on air. She should have saved for the long-suffered production staff. They get used to it.
Why do we do it? Well, wouldn't you?
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