Mark Radcliffe popped out of the studio, so I took advantage of his absence for a private chat with Stuart Maconie. After some preliminary small talk about preferences for co-hosted shows, I got down to the business of my complaint. Why had they agreed to move their evening Radio 2 show to afternoons on 6 Music? Didn’t they know that this had ruined my nightly routine of e-mail shovelling? It just wasn’t the same sending spam to trash while listening to documentaries on Radio 4.

Stuart failed to address my concerns. Instead he became increasingly agitated because it looked like Mark might not come back. Fifteen minutes passed and Mark was still out on the streets of Salford. What an opportunity! I offered to take Mark’s place at the microphone. The underlying fear was clear in Stuart’s simple reply to my suggestion: “I don’t think so”, he croaked warily.

See Stuart Maconie elsewhere on Dreamaticus in Bonding with Radcliffe and Maconie over the Farmer’s Boys and the BBC (Rousse); Stuart Maconie radio chef (Rousse)