A local breakfast-radio host has admitted manslaughter during an interview with an early morning guest. Brian ‘Blaster’ Bamford was twenty minutes into his drive-in show on Pembrokeshire’s Radio Sunlight when his second guest, archaeologist Dr Tim Sanders came into the studio.
According to transcripts of the show when Mr Bamford asked Dr Sanders where he was based he responded, “So, I’m currently based at Bangor University in North Wales.” Then, in a second question in which the DJ asked the archaeologist if he knew how many Roman settlements there were in Wales Dr Sanders answered “So, according to historians and the evidence we have gathered since the late eighteenth century we estimate that….”
According to police investigations, before Dr Sanders was able to finish his answer Mr Bamford leapt across the studio desk and throttled him with his headphone leads.
Language expert, Dr Stephanie Allbright of the University of East Anglia said, “This is a very unfortunate incident. In essence the word ‘so’ has replaced the words ‘uh’ or ‘um’ which are used to win a little time before gathering one’s thoughts. Using ‘so’ at the beginning of a sentence sounds more intellectual but it also makes the questioner look like he has absolutely no knowledge of the subject giving the interviewee the upper hand.”
Since the incident scores of radio interviewers have received anger management training to ensure that they do not over react to the current glut of interviewees answering questions with “so.”
When asked if the training had made a difference in interview situations one local radio presenter said, “absolutely.” He is now recovering from his spell in intensive care.
