26 FEBRUARY 2005, Page 18

Otiose superlative

From Martin B. Vallance

Sir: Michael Henderson (‘Time to rescue BBC English’, 12 February) looks to the director-general of the BBC for help. One of Mark Thompson’s first utterances following his appointment as director-general was on Radio Four after attending the memorial service for the late Alistair Cooke, when he described the great man as ‘very unique’. Not much hope there, then!

Martin B. Vallance

Brompton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire