Danny Baker didn’t want to be "forced" to retire.
The 61-year-old broadcaster was fired by the BBC last week after sharing a doctored photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding hands with a chimpanzee wearing clothes with the caption "Royal Baby leaves hospital", and many users accused the former Radio 5 Live presenter of mocking Duchess Meghan’s racial heritage.
Danny returned to the spotlight at the weekend when he took to the stage at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal for his ‘Good time Charlie’s Back’ show and addressed the scandal.
He said: "After 42 years in this racket … I’m 62 nearly now and I thought, well, retire.
"I didn’t want to be forced to retire."
The presenter made a number of jokes about his sacking and insisted he wasn’t afraid of his critics.
He said: "When life deals you lemons, you chuck them at the people calling you racist…
"I genuinely didn’t know what atmosphere to expect tonight.
"But if you want to rush the stage, I’m a Millwall fan with a snooker cue."
And referencing President John F. Kennedy’s killer as he walked around the stage, he said: "I always pace the stage – I’m not trying to get away from potential Lee Harvey Oswalds."
And despite the public outcry against him, Danny received a standing ovation at the end of his show and hailed the evening one of the "best" of his career.
He said: "I’ve always been described as a professional Cockney and it used to really rile us.
"Recently and long before the last week’s troubles, I’ve started to do what the kids call ‘own it’.
"I do want to say this and I’m not milking it but it’s been one of the best nights of my career tonight. It really has."
Following the immediate backlash, Danny tweeted an apology after deleting the offending post and said the offensive meaning behind it "never occurred" to him.
He later "formally apologised" in a string of tweets and attempted to explain his "awful gaffe" admitting that he "f****d up" and is "not feeling sorry for [himself]".
He wrote: "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. (sic)"
Danny continued: "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 fucked up. Badly.
"But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. (sic) "
The presenter added: "The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so – seriously who on earth would ‘go there’?
"Anyway i am now paying the price for this crass & regrettable blunder and rightly so. (sic)"
Danny Baker returns to spotlight
