Voting Station

Humphrey Lyttelton

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Radio Personality

The Resume

    (May 23, 1921-April 25, 2008)
    Born in Eton, England, United Kingdom
    Jazz trumpeter
    Hosted 'Best of Jazz' for BBC Radio 2 (1967-2007) and 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' for BBC Radio 4 (1972-2008)
    Wrote restaurant reviews for 'Harpers & Queen' and humorous pieces for 'Punch'
    Received a Sony Radio Gold Award (1993) and the BBC Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award (2001)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was born into privilege but considered him a 'romantic socialist.'
    He alienated a number of fans in the early 50s by switching from trad jazz to swing.
    He turned down a knighthood.
    He said the secret to his deadpan delivery on 'I'm Sorry...' was that he would read the script without understanding why it was funny.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a self-taught musician.
    His 'Bad Penny Blues' was the first jazz record to make the British Top 20 (1956).
    Louis Armstrong called him 'that cat in England who swings his ass off.'
    At the request of NASA, he played a selection of jazz numbers that were broadcast to the crew of Apollo 8 (1968).
    He played on the Radiohead song 'Life in a Glasshouse' (2001).
    He was a cartoonist for the 'Daily Mail' (1949-56).
    Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer said, 'He's just a colossally good broadcaster and possessed of this fantastic sense of timing.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 92.31% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 2713 Votes: 23.66% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 21 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 29 Votes: 65.52% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 73 Votes: 35.62% Annoying