A UFO researcher who felt that his work was being ridiculed by a legendary British radio host erupted over the perceived mistreatment and stormed out of the studio while the show was live on the air. The wild moment occurred on Tuesday morning's edition of James Whale Unleashed (a radio show that is also simulcast on television), as the eponymous host was speaking to ufologist Tony Topping about his personal experiences with the phenomenon. Although the conversation initially seemed to be going fairly well, when Whale began demanding proof for the UFO experiencer's account, the show quickly went off the rails in a fashion that no doubt left the jaws of the audience at home on the floor.
Declaring that he was "not happy with the way the interview's going," Topping criticized the skeptical host for "taking a mick out of me" and lamented that this was particularly disappointing because "you've been a legend of mine since childhood." For his part, Whale was undeterred by the UFO researcher's critique, bellowing that "you have no proof, do you? You've come in here under false pretenses." In response, Topping noted that the host had ridiculed a drawing of the alien that allegedly visited the UFO researcher and declared "that artwork is my life's work and I will not have my life's work mocked by a media presenter."
Although Topping threatened to walk out of the studio as a result of his displeasure, the heated on-air argument actually continued for a staggering two more minutes wherein the UFO researcher called his former hero a "disappointment" and complained that he had been derided by the host "since the interview began." In what may have been an effort to bring some peace to the proceedings, Whale opted to bring a caller onto the program, however this only served to exacerbate the issue as the listener also asked for evidence of Topping's story, which prompted the host to point at the researcher's purported photos of UFOs, which appeared to be a pair of white blobs, and sarcastically noted that "you just told me that's proof."
Enraged by Whale's antics, Topping threw off his headphones and made his way over to the host in a moment wherein it appeared that their clash could possibly turn physical, though thankfully cooler heads prevailed and the pair simply shouted at each other. Hilariously, as this very awkward scene was unfolding just a few feet from him, the show's co-host Ash Gould watched on in astonishment and simply mused that "we've gone off on the wrong foot." Ultimately, after making his unhappiness with the experience abundantly clear, Topping exited the studio as an exasperated Whale bid him farewell and continued on with the program.