By Iain Dale

It’s rare that I scroll through Twitter and exclaim: “Oh no!” But I did that this morning when I saw that my former LBC colleague John Stapleton had died at the age of 79.

John had made a name for himself in the 1980s and 1990s as a consummate TV host, whether on Watchdog, alongside his beloved wife Lynn Faulds-Wood, or hosting ‘The Time the Place’ or various incarnations of the ITV breakfast show, where he was a regular presenter until 2015.

Viewers trusted him. They appreciated his self-deprecation.

They enjoyed his odd fluff. But most importantly, they liked him.

Indeed, I cannot think of anyone who ever had a bad word to say about him. And there aren’t many people like that in the competitively cut-throat world of current affairs broadcasting. Viewers and listeners knew there was no side to John. He could spot bullshit from a guest a mile away. And if he sniffed it out, he........

© LBC