The sacking of Frank Skinner is a loss to British comedy

The recent news that comedian Frank Skinner had been sacked from his job at Absolute Radio after fifteen years as presenter feels like a misstep to say the least. It has not been without a whiff of scandal, coming amidst accusations of ‘ageism’. The man himself lamented: ‘I’m not going to pretend I took it well… I don’t want to go.’

Many of us will feel the same way: if, from May when his contract runs out, Frank Skinner is to be not only off our television networks but also national radio as well, it would seem to be comedy’s loss. His brand of humour – smutty, confessional, nudging and winking – is in a long tradition arguably dating back to Chaucer, through seaside postcards, Max Miller and the Carry On films. To abandon it is to jettison some aspect of being English.

For a time, you could scarcely avoid Skinner.