A senior executive at the BBC has told an industrial tribunal that a TV presenter was axed from the popular Sunday show Countryfile because she did not want to report from an abattoir.
Andrew Thorman, the corporation’s head of rural affairs, told the tribunal that Michaela Strachan, who is vegetarian, was not replaced on the show because of her age or gender but because she did not want to report on how meat is produced.
Miriam O’Reilly, a former colleague of Miss Strachan’s on the programme is suing the BBC for ageism and sexism, claiming those were the reasons she was sacked, along with Miss Strachan, when Countryfile was relaunched in April last year. Miss O’Reilly claims that directors advised her to consider Botox to hide wrinkles and to think about dying her hair black to hide her white roots.
However Mr Thorman, giving evidence to the tribunal, denied that the two women, along with another two axed female presenters, were replaced because of their sex or their age. He said that Miss Strachan was replaced because she had moved out the country and did not want to work on matters relating to meat and Miss O’Reilly was not a personality who could attract audiences to a prime-time slot.
He said: “She did not have experience presenting on a prime-time show and she did not have the peak time profile that was needed. This was not a reflection of her skill as a reporter or her knowledge of rural affairs. The decision had nothing to do with Miriam’s age or sex.”
The hearing continues.
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