The most striking thing about Rod Liddle when he arrived at the BBC as a trainee producer was how different he was to the corporation norm. He was the only man on the Today programme to sport an earring. Rod adored being provocative – a trait that became unmissable in his later careerHe was, however, a brilliant journalist. Rod managed them closely, enjoying the frisson they brought to Radio 4 but never letting them get away with anything unsubstantiated. But it was hard to see Rod doing a job for the BBC other than editing Today.