Reverend Richard Coles said he ‘devoted his energies’ towards the BBC (Picture: Richard Saker/REX/Shutterstock)
Reverend Richard Coles has said after leaving the BBC that he ‘felt rather hurtled towards the exit’.
The broadcaster, 61, stepped down from Radio 4’s Saturday Live in March after 12 years. He joined the corporation’s show in 2011.
His departure from the show, also presented by Nikki Bedi, came following its relocation from London to Cardiff.
‘I felt rather hurtled towards the exit. Working for an organisation like the BBC, you devote your energies to it and yet they perhaps don’t always respond with similar devotion,’ he shared.
‘It’s a great national institution, and more power to its elbow. It would just be nice if it could distinguish that elbow from its arse sometimes,’ Coles added to Radio Times.
The ex-Church of England parish priest – who has also appeared on BBC comedy programmes such as QI, Have I Got News For You and Would I Lie To You? and retired from clerical duties in 2022 – also told the magazine that he hopes to be back on the BBC.
He presented on Saturday Live for 12 years before his final show in March (Picture: BBC)
He previously said days ahead of his departure earlier this year that ‘a gentler process would have been nice’.
‘It just feels a little bit rushed. It’s been frustrating for me having to wait for an announcement, and now it’s my last programme on Saturday. I’d rather have had a longer goodbye to listeners.
‘It just feels a bit sad. I’m sorry to go; I’ve loved the programme, I’ve loved the people I’ve worked with, and it’s been a big part of my life. I shall miss it,’ he told The Guardian newspaper.
In his original statement, shared with Metro.co.uk by the BBC, he said: ‘After more than a decade on Saturday Live the time has come to do something different, spend some time on other projects and get my weekends back.
‘I’ve loved my stint on the programme, my wonderful colleagues, guests and listeners, and most of all hearing people’s stories – catnip for a nosey man. I look forward to reappearing on the network in the future and wish the best to Nikki as Saturday Live continues.’
A BBC spokesperson told the publication: ‘Richard has been brilliant on Saturday mornings and very much continues to be part of the Radio 4 family.
‘We look forward to working with him on future projects.’
The former 2017 contestant on Strictly Come Dancing signed off his radio show on March 25 ‘thanking’ listeners for ‘sharing their stories, surprising and moving us, a nosy man could ask for no better job’.
Bedi, 56, has stayed on to present the weekend series in Cardiff.
The media personality hopes to work with the BBC again (Picture: Matt Crossick/PA Wire)
Coles, who is also a musician and was in synth-pop duo The Communards alongside Jimmy Somerville, continues to present a podcast called The Rabbit Hole Detectives with archaeologist Dr Cat Jarman and historian Charles Spencer.
Over the series, they chase ‘the provenance of historical objects both real and metaphorical’.
The BBC said it ‘invited both presenters to Cardiff to continue the programme’ and ‘his departure was marked on the final show, and he was given space to say farewell to listeners on air’.
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‘It’s a great national institution, and more power to its elbow. It would just be nice if it could distinguish that elbow from its arse sometime.’
