Oh dear. It seems that the BBC press office has had a nightmare 24 hours, with not one but three blunders in rapid succession involving three of their biggest stars – Fiona Bruce, David Attenborough and Gary Lineker. The Lineker row has been dominating the headlines but it’s not the only row consuming the Beeb.
On Thursday night, Bruce fronted an episode of Question Time in which the mooted knighthood for Stanley Johnson was referenced. Journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown described him as ‘a wife beater’ prompting her host to explain to the audience that:
Stanley Johnson’s wife spoke to a journalist, Tom Bower, and she said Stanley Johnson had broken her nose and she had ended up in hospital as a result. Stanley Johnson has not commented publicly on that. Friends of his have said it did happen, it was a one off.
That response has led to a chorus of execration from MPs, charities and lobbying groups, with Bruce now accused of trivialising ‘violence against women.’ In response the Beeb were forced to put out a statement which said:
Domestic abuse is abhorrent and we would never wish to suggest otherwise. When serious allegations are made on air against people or organisations, it is the job of BBC presenters to ensure that the context of those allegations and any right of reply from the person or organisation is given to the audience and this is what Fiona Bruce was doing last night. She was not expressing any personal opinion about the situation.
And it seems that it’s been a busy day in the BBC press office because the Corporation have been forced to put out a statement about a third issue too. The Guardian has claimed that Auntie decided not to broadcast an episode of David Attenborough’s new series on British wildlife because of fears of a ‘rightwing backlash.’ The apparent desire to ‘cancel’ a national treasure has led to some commentators asking if the Corporation has a death wish. But on this one, Mr S wonders if it might be the Graun which has it wrong (again) with the BBC issuing a robust response tonight to the paper’s report:
This is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘6th episode’. Wild Isles is – and always was – a 5 part series. We acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the RSPB, WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.
Still, talk about a comms horror show from the Beeb…
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