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The debasement of loveliness

22 Aug 10 | Re: Presenter-driven word inflation

Fearne Cotton does it. Reggie Yates does it. Claudia Winkleman does it. Davina McCall may have invented it. Yes, there is a whole generation of presenters at large who append to almost everyone they ever introduce the epithet “the lovely”.

As in “coming up next on Radio 1 is the lovely Huw Stephens”.

I’m not saying that Huw Stephens isn’t lovely, but is that really how he wants to be introduced? And is it really any kind of endorsement when it has already been given to Amy Winehouse, Bruno Tonioli and Flo Rida earlier in the same show? Is Flo Rida lovely?

Perhaps I belong to another era, but I cherish loveliness. It pains me to see it debased by this policy of indiscriminate bestowing. I fear it’s on the point of going the way of hatred: it no longer means a great deal to say that one hates something, so to attain the gold standard of dislike one must now loathe it. Soon, the gift of loveliness will have been so freely and underservingly given (to Danny Dyer, for goodness sake?) that I will have to start talking about “the heavenly Huw Stephens”. And that’s not something I’m sure I want to do.

Posted by DRIBBLER WILSON at 18:04

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