Round Two

The hyper-sensitive journalistic antennae that reportedly protruded from the barnet of Mark Byford as Director of Journalism at the BBC have failed to twang in retirement. After yesterday's unsatisfactory performance on Radio 5Live defending his exit package - "I was given what I was given" - he's tonight featured on the pages of the London Evening Standard.

"I was never a grey man. You can ring five people: 'Mark Byford, what was he like?' They won't say grey. They'll say 'A bit loud. Never stopped. Good fun. Worked hard. Believed in it. Devoted.' And I was !"

He tells the interviewer his newsroom nicknames were 'Tigger' and 'Puppy Dog' "because of my bounce". If the antennae are now switched off, the ears clogged up a long time ago.

"I was a gluer of people and teams. I love people and getting them to work collaboratively. There's a great skill. That's what I hope I brought".

He apparently thought the furore over his pay-off would have died down by now. "I never expected it still to be going. I understand the criticism. But while I accept that it was a lot of money, I don't feel I've done anything wrong. I wasn't in the meeting that decided this was the correct package for my work and for my 32 years".

The execution of duty is sometimes more complicated than just following orders...