Jeremy Vine Meets... (BBC1)

MEN kissing at nine o'clock in the morning, whatever next? Before you put pen to paper to complain to the BBC, I should point out this was only a friendly peck on the cheeks between musician and charity worker Bob Geldof and Newsnight interrogator turned Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine.

But the hesitant, slighty embarrassed nature of the greeting typified the two episodes of Jeremy Vine Meets that I've seen. A handshake was followed by a tentative cheek kiss and, finally, a half-hearted nuzzle on the other cheek.

The series, in which Vine interviews five elder statesmen/women of rock, is equally unclear of its intentions. It's halfway between the tough mind-probing of In The Psychiatrist's Chair and the light-hearted breakfast banter of GMTV.

I suspect the odd timeslot - tucked away at 9am each morning this week - reflects the schedulers' uncertainty about what to do with a series that's been sitting on the shelf for some time, a fact given away by today's guest Sting mentioning flying on Concorde the other day and writing his autobiography (which was published some months ago).

The Sting interview was recorded first but the Geldof chat was chosen to open the series, possibly because it's the best one. He's a much more willing and open talker than Sting. At the end Sting joked, "I feel as though I've done five rounds with Mike Tyson," when the interview was more like going five rounds with Andy Pandy.

Vine tried to get Sting to make a connection between his painful childhood and trying to prove something to his late father. But the artist formerly known as Gordon Sumner resisted, other than admitting that, "I took a while to connect with people other than through music".

Tantric sex, dinner parties with Geldof and Bono where they talk about world issues, losing a friend in the World Trade Centre terrorist attack and saving the environment were all touched upon without Sting giving away too much.

"Do you think you're quite a difficult person to like?" asked Vine, clearly implying some people thought he was.

Sting replied that he desired respect more than love or adoration. But there's something about Geldof that makes him instantly more likeable and makes his charity work more acceptable than Sting's espousal of the rainforests.

Geldof says he's most comfortable when he's on stage, although he had a go at answering honestly Vine's questions about his mother's death when he was young, the Sting dinner parties ("they're fun guys") and his relationship with Paula Yates.

Vine pointed out that, these days, he's no longer primarily regarded as a rock star but as a "brand" or a "saint". With typical candour, Geldof said, "No, I think I irritate a lot of people". But not, do I hear you say, half as many as Sting.