Darren Grimes Says The BBC Done It

Still desperate to milk his not-really-victimhood for all it is worth, failed trainee hairdresser and terminally inept form-filler Darren Grimes has hit on someone to blame for his recent disastrous decision to not only allow appalling old bigot David Starkey to talk about “damn blacks”, but then publish the “interview” without stopping and thinking first.

So who might be on the hook here? Grimes asked Starkey to participate, he did the alleged interviewing, he nodded along with Starkey’s racist bigotry, and he was the one who published it. But it was not his fault, oh no. The organisation at fault, he has decided, is the hated BBC. Because they have not given him a platform to exploit it.

Yes, it’s the Beeb’s fault, or rather, it’s a ready-made excuse for Dazza to leverage his victimhood for another of his pet projects - trying to defund the Corporation. So up he piped this morning to bleat “The Times are running it as their leading article. And [BBC News]? Silence”. One hates to swear too much, but why the merry fuck should they?

Aaron Bastani was on the same page. “Come now, you’ve not even been interviewed. Yes it’s an egregious episode, and I hope it comes to nothing, but it doesn’t merit the BBC covering it, no”. But Grimes was off and away. “I must admit that I am not used to such silence from the BBC when it comes to attempts to take me to court”. There hasn’t been an attempt to take him to court. But that is quickly forgotten.

“It does seem strange that when a former director of public prosecutions, the Home Secretary, the former Chancellor and a host of others have spoken out about the importance of the law protecting freedom of speech and of the press, and the absurdity of the Met’s actions, that our national broadcaster should stay so silent”. Do go on.

“Surely the threat of facing prosecution for remarks made by guests in interviews is something that should greatly trouble any broadcaster, including the BBC?” Maybe those at the Beeb already understand the responsibilities of publishers? Try again. “This is one of the most important cases regarding freedom of speech in this country and yet the BBC has said nothing - I’d suggest that they are failing in their obligation to inform the nation”.

Inform the nation of what? That some minor idiot has failed to understand his responsibilities before hitting “publish”? But wait, he’s got a reason for the BBC to feature him. “I'm a former hairdresser, creative degree student, state school educated, single parent background, gay AND from the North East”. He’s a symbol of diversity!

In that case, he might be better advised not placing too much stress on that Times editorial. It does, after all, tell readers “For Mr Grimes, the humiliation is less grave but nonetheless real. He has, by his own admission, been exposed as naive, deeply unserious and incapable of behaving with even the minor degree of responsibility required of a figure of mild public renown”. And still doesn’t understand publishers’ responsibilities.

This has nothing to do with freedom of speech. And it is of insufficient merit for the BBC to waste its scarce resources on reporting it. Darren Grimes’ fifteen minutes is almost up.

Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zelostreet7