Amol Rajan apologises to Dame Esther Rantzen after blunder
BBC Radio 4 DJ Amol Rajan suffered a catastrophic blunder while interviewing Dame Esther Rantzen on Friday (October 4).
The broadcaster was forced to apologise after an embarrassing choice of words left him flustered. In January 2023, the That's Life! presenter, 84, announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which soon spread months later, forming her to reflect on her mortality.
Today the TV vetern joined Amol on the airwaves for his afternoon show, but soon suffered some connection issues at the start of their call.
He began the interview saying: "Dame Esther, good morning" only to be met with complete silence. He quickly followed up with: "Is Dame Esther Rantzen with us?"
It was at this point that the journalist chuckled: "Yeah, I hope so!" as Amol laughed off the embarrassing comment. He admitted: "Oh God, I'm doing my best!
"Dear, dear, dear, dear... that was probably the worst question I've ever asked. Please forgive me," he begged. "I meant is the line working, it clearly very much is. I probably should start by asking how you are."
It didn't take long before the embarrassing clip spread across social media, with one user on X - formerly known as Twitter - chuckling: "Absolute howler from Amol Rajan just now to (terminally ill) Esther Rantzen."
Another listener declared the presenter's emarrassing blunder the "quote of the day" as he introduced Dame Esther for a feature discussing assisted dying.
A third chimed in with: "Laughing and crying at the same time #AssistedDying @BBCRadio4 gold moment 'Is Esther Rantze still with us?' #nationaltreasure @ERantzen."
Meanwhile, other listeners went on to praise Dame Esther for how she spoke about the difficult subject on the show. One user commented: "Esther Rantzen's arguments on assisted dying are moving and powerful, and I hope MP's support them."
Another added that it was "heartbreaking" to hear her "beg for basic dignity" live on air, while Amol's "sensitive" handling of the topic was also praised.
Last December, Dame Esther revealed that she had joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland. Since then, the presenter has been very vocal about pushing for a change in the UK laws.
One of the main issues she raised was the repercutions for her family. If she was to opt for assisted dying herself, her family could be vulnerable to prosecution if they accompany her to the clinic, facing up to 14 years behind bars.
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A petition for a debate on assisted dying backed by the BBC star gained 200,000 signatures which saw the topic later discussed in Westminster on April 29, 2024. Ahead of the debate, a Childline founder, who says she is living "scan to scan" told Good Morning Britain that her dog had a "better" death than her beloved family members.
She explained: "We can offer our beloved pets a pain-free death but we can't offer it to our beloved family." In February, the broadcaster shared her final plans with her family before she passes away.
During an interview with LBC Radio, she said: "I'd like to fly off to Zurich with my nearest and dearest. Have a fantastic dinner the night before.
"I'd love caviar, if possible, and the fact that it doesn't always agree with me doesn't matter, does it? I could even have champagne, which I'm deeply allergic to. Then the next day, go to this rather unappealing place where they do it. Listen to a favourite piece of music, say goodbye to everybody and tell them to cheer up."
