Danny Baker ‘formally’ apologises over tweet

Danny Baker said he wants to “formerly apologise for the outrage I caused” after “one of the worst days of my life.”

He was sacked from the BBC Radio 5 Live after tweeting was perhaps an innocent joke about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son.

Baker said he is “not feeling sorry for myself.”

Baker who has had a clean and positive career said it was “one of the worst days of my life” and added, “it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake.”

Baker tweeted, “Following one of the worst days of my life I just want to formally apologise for the outrage I caused and explain how I got myself into this mess.

“I chose the wrong photo to illustrate a joke. Disastrously so.

“In attempting to lampoon privilege and the news cycle I went to a file of goofy pictures and saw the chimp dressed as a Lord and thought, ‘That’s the one!’

“Had I kept searching I might have chosen General Tom Thumb or even a baby in a crown. But I didn’t. God knows I wish had.

“Minutes later I was alerted by followers that this royal baby was of course mixed race and waves of panic and revulsion washed over me.

“F**k, what had I done? I needed no lessons on the century’s slurs equating simians and people of colour. Racism at it’s basest.

“I am aware black people do not need a white man to tell them this. Deleting it immediately and apologising for the awful gaffe I even foolishly tried to make light of it. (My situation that is, not the racism involved.) Too late and here I am.

“I would like once and for all to apologise to every single person who, quite naturally, took the awful connection at face value. I understand that and all of the clamour and opprobrium I have faced since. I am not feeling sorry for myself. I f****d up. Badly.

“But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. …

“I am now paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder and rightly so. Probably even this final word from me will extend the mania. (‘Dog whistle’ anyone?) I would like to thank friends on here for their kinder words and once again – I am so, so sorry.”