So the reassuring, calm, easy going presence of crimebuster Nick Ross will no longer grace Crimewatch following the next episode, after 23 years presenting the legendary show. “Ah well,” thought I on hearing the news. “23 years is a good long haul. I bet he’s looking forward to having a rest.”
And then the seething anger hit when reading through various reports and I suddenly realised that the inimitable Mr Ross has not had his contract renewed. Let’s just go through that again:
Nick Ross has not had his contract renewed after 23 years of presenting Crimewatch
Yep, Auntie Beeb is happy moving on one of the most experienced and reassuring faces it has left on its schedules. Are they mad? First Moira Stuart, and now Nick Ross. I dread to think who might be next.
I’m not going to go down the route and suggest that Ross’s removal from Crimewatch is influenced by his age (plenty of other reports are doing that for me), but I feel the BBC is walking dangerous ground here. If there’s even the remotest sniff of age discrimination at work, the Corporation will have an enquiry down on its head quicker than you can say:
And now on BBC1, Crimewatch with Fearne Cotton and Vernon Kay.
Nick Ross, TV Today salutes you and wishes you the greatest of fortune in your future projects. And you know what, I never once had a nightmare…
Yeah. I emailed crimewatch from their website today - suggest lots of us middleaged people do it - if only to annoy them!
Nick is clearly a little too old, too male, too well spoken, too posh. Its an ageist/posh dumping just like Moira. I predicted Fern Cotton like you (!) or maybe Graham Norton: "Who'd pick a shirt like that to get murdered in....!". Another site reckons Rav (the copper - ain't he) might get a bigger role. He's street and got an accent and he's a bit ethnic. Rolls-Eyes.
Utter madness. Suggest they fire the commissioning guy Ben Gale before he destroys anything else - the pictures of HIM on the bbc website suggest he has none of Nick's looks, gravitas or intelligence. So he won't have been motivated by envy I am sure.