As a sports fan, I am a regular listener as I drive to BBC Radio 5 live, which is also a rolling news station. I have recently begun to see a pattern emerging in the way that interviews are conducted.

In a world where the attention span of audiences is apparently deemed to be that of a shoal of goldfish, broadcasters are desperate to keep our attention so that we don’t start channel hopping. The way they have chosen to do this is to not dwell too long on any subject, which results in cramming more topics into a programme than can be easily managed. Today, I heard five head teachers and two educational activists being told that they had just a minute each to make their point about league tables etc. as the programme was about to end.

One can only imagine their irritation, as they had probably spent some ten minutes or so talking to a researcher (who would invariably pass on incomplete information to the presenter resulting in the latter getting their names wrong). Then they had held on for another ten or 15 minutes listening to the programme on their phone only to be given short shrift when they suddenly found themselves on air.

Frustrating for them and even more frustrating for listeners who had been awaiting the trailed discussion and might reasonably have hoped for a little more information than they got. Add into the mixture the aggressive interviewing style (verging on sneering) that is becoming more common these days and the end result is that I succumb to the temptation of inserting a CD and listening to a recording of Paul Temple or Dick Barton made in the days when the BBC knew the value of a good thriller serial.

I am often asked to go onto rolling news programmes on radio stations all over the country, to comment on the latest Doctor Who appointment, regeneration, anniversary or series.

I have learned the hard way that it is easier to say ‘No’ for all the reasons given above, but also because I don’t have anything new or enlightening to say and all these programmes are now after the quick sound bite rather anything resembling a meaningful chat.

If there is a controversial question to be asked, I will be asked it and I now prefer to avoid fending off interrogatory minefields that have repercussions for months afterwards.