Sikh Sex Pest Picked to Host Radio Programme on British Culture

Who better to present a five part radio series on British culture than Hardeep Singh Kohli, currently on six month leave from The One Show to 'reflect on his behaviour' after 'overstepping the mark' with a female colleague.

The BBC refuses to reveal details of why he's taking a six month holiday, but insists his break from one particular programme should not affect his work across the organisation, even though he is clearly in the wrong.

Described by some as a 'arrogant, rude, ego-centric and completely unfunny', I'm sure having this man present a programme called 'Tea & Biscuits' (which includes such homages to Britain as an Indian bride and groom at their arranged wedding) is the worst form of politically correct propaganda.

From The Daily Mail:

Shamed One Show presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli has landed a job on Radio 4 – just two months after a BBC co-worker accused him of harassment.

The 40-year-old roving reporter, famous for his colourful turbans, is presenting a five-part series on British culture.

His role on the show, which is being broadcast this week, comes during his six-month 'leave of absence’ from the BBC One magazine programme.

A spokesman for Radio 4 said he could not rule out the possibility that Kohli would be offered work on more shows in the future.

Kohli, a father of two, found himself in hot water in June this year, when a female researcher on The One Show complained about his inappropriate behaviour.

The reporter, who had been regarded as one of the BBC’s rising stars, was hauled in front of bosses who demanded he apologise to the woman.

He was reprimanded by producers on the show, which is hosted by Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles, and agreed to take six months off to ‘reflect on his behaviour’.

Kohli attracted yet more criticism just last week, when he came up with ‘saucy’ names for children’s characters and posted them on his Twitter site.

The names, which included ‘Little Jack Hornier’, ‘Randy Pandy’ and ‘Blue Movie Peter’, prompted complaints from some of his ‘followers’ on the social networking site. One angry mother branded him a ‘disgrace’.

But if Kohli was concerned about work offers becoming a little thin on the ground, he needn’t have worried.

The Glasgow-born TV star is presenting a new five-part series for Radio 4, entitled Tea And Biscuits, which is airing every afternoon this week.

The show, which started on Monday, sees Kohli visit people and places where the British tradition of tea and biscuits is still going strong.

His encounters include a blood donation centre, the setting up of an arranged marriage between an Indian bride and groom and a break in a lorry driver’s day.

A spokesman for Radio 4 said Kohli’s six month absence from The One Show did not affect his work across the rest of the BBC.

‘Hardeep has not been banned, he has taken a mutually agreed leave of absence from the One Show,’ he said. ‘This does not include his work for Radio 4.’

Details of the harassment complaint against Kohli have not been made public, but the presenter denied that it was sexual harassment.

He admitted, however, that he had ‘overstepped the mark’ and said he had ‘apologised unreservedly’.

Kohli, who split from his wife Sharmila two years ago, has been regarded as one of the BBC's rising stars since winning a place on the corporation's training scheme in Scotland.