By Iain Dale

It was in the interval of watching a Cliff Richard concert in Cardiff last night that I learned that Brian Hayes had died at the age of 87. I knew he was ill, but it was still something of a shock, following hot on the heels of learning that one of my footballing heroes, Billy Bonds, had died earlier that morning.

Brian had a huge influence on me and my rather late in life new career as a presenter on speech radio. I had appeared many times on his LBC and Radio 5 Live late night shows, and was fascinated by his unique style. If he thought a caller was talking nonsense he had no compunction about telling them so. He could be........

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