DJ Chris Moyles plays down BBC pay tirade

Radio One DJ Chris Moyles has played down an on-air tirade about not being paid, in his first show since he made the comments.

Moyles said he was "not embarrassed, just very bemused" by the furore surrounding his "rant" on Wednesday.

"Yesterday was a ridiculous day," he said as his show began at 0630 BST. "Hopefully, this will go away."

The 36-year-old had told listeners he had not been paid for two months, branding it "a huge lack of respect".

"I am so angry that they've put me in this position where now I have to choose whether or not I go to work," he said.

On Thursday, Moyles said he had been "upset" and "frustrated", but that the matter had been blown out of proportion by the media.

"I'm very, very moody first thing in the morning," he said. "I'm not a morning person.

"That rant I did yesterday is not the worst rant I've done on air."

Moyles did not retract or apologise for his comments, saying that "everything I said yesterday I stand by".

He said he had met Radio One controller Andy Parfitt to discuss the situation on Wednesday night.

A BBC spokeswoman said a computer glitch had delayed Moyles's payments which were being processed.

On Wednesday, his agent said the issue was being rectified.

Moyles became Radio One's longest-serving breakfast DJ last year, overtaking a previous record set by veteran broadcaster Tony Blackburn.