Richard Bacon: Blue Peter sacking would have been worse in age of social media

TV presenter Richard Bacon said his experience of being sacked from Blue Peter would have been very different had it been in the age of social media.

Bacon was forced to hand in his Blue Peter badge in 1998 after admitting taking cocaine and losing his job.

His career rebounded and the 45-year-old is now a successful TV producer based in Los Angeles.

Former BBC radio host Bacon said the experience of being sacked from such a high-profile job would be “more frightening” if it played out on social media.

He told The Sun: “I want to make a show where we pick a handful of people who were cancelled and debate whether it was right or wrong.

“Cancel culture is about rushing to judgment. I’d love us all to slow down, go, ‘Stop, let’s think about this. Does this person really deserve never to have a career?’

“My experience on Blue Peter would have been very different if social media had been around. The intensity of the storm is even more fierce and more frightening now.

“If you’re caught up in a massive scandal there are probably tens of
thousands of tweets about you.”

Bacon’s latest TV creation is the BBC One game show This Is MY House, which is hosted by Strictly Come Dancing winner Stacey Dooley.

Reigning Strictly champion Bill Bailey will feature as a celebrity panellist alongside actress Emily Atack, comedian Jamali Maddix and Loose Woman star Judi Love.

The team of judges has to work out which contestant is telling the truth about being the real owner of a house.