The BBC’s appointment of Chair Richard Sharp “should not stand” and the process was “fatally flawed,” according to former Director General John Birt, who threw his weight behind the corporation over the Gary Lineker scandal.
11.03.2023 - 13:05 / deadline.com
The BBC comms department must be reeling this morning after a nightmare 48 hours which saw it firefighting battles on several fronts.
The Corporation’s primetime Saturday night football show Match of the Day will air this weekend without any host, pundits or commentators, after its main presenter Gary Lineker – the BBC’s highest earner on a £1.35million ($1.62m) salary – was taken off air for sending controversial tweets about the government’s migration policy.
After a catalogue of pundits and commentators stood down in solidarity with Lineker, and other presenters said they wouldn’t be appearing, the BBC decided to air the show with just highlights packages. But the row rumbles on, with the spectacle of BBC News journalists door-stepping the Director-General for comments about another BBC presenter.
If America is wondering who is @GaryLineker and what is this huge row playing out in the UK….I briefly spoke to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the decision for #GaryLineker to step back from presenting.More on @BBCWorld at 1700ET with @LauraTrevelyan hosting pic.twitter.com/LpN3zpiyj8
On the same day, the BBC issued an apology following an interview on one of its flagship radio news shows. On March 3, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries appeared on The World At One when she was asked about last year’s probe into illegal parties during lockdown held at Downing Street, home of the prime minister.
Radio 4 allowed her to claim that the report’s chief investigator, Sue Gray, is pals with Keir Starmer and the “partygate” probe is discredited by “deep political motivations.” Yesterday, the show issued a statement saying there was no evidence for this, and “apologised for its shortcomings on this occasion.”
Meanwhile,
The BBC’s appointment of Chair Richard Sharp “should not stand” and the process was “fatally flawed,” according to former Director General John Birt, who threw his weight behind the corporation over the Gary Lineker scandal.
READ MORE: Sharon Stone risks wardrobe malfunction after 'losing half her money'It happened following the latest move from the government that has promised anyone who arrives illegally in the UK is "detained and swiftly removed". The Match of the Day presenter voiced his opinion and compared the bill to Nazi history, leaving many online users debating. Piers opened a recent instalment of his show issuing a rant about the broadcasters being the "victims" of prosecution.
Fred Again.., Skrillex and Four Tet have teamed up once again for a new song, ‘Baby Again..’‘Baby Again..’ samples Lil Baby and DaBaby‘s 2019 track ‘Baby’, but fans familiar with the three producers’ output may well have heard it before.The track debuted during Fred Again..’s viral Boiler Room set last summer but it was also played at the trio’s recent show at New York’s Madison Square Garden during a climactic moment midway through the set where the house lights went off.The trio previously worked together alongside Flowdan on the single ‘Rumble’, which was released in January as one of the first songs to be heard from Skrillex’s album ‘Quest For Fire’. The album arrived the following month before it was quickly followed up with another one, ‘Don’t Get Too Close’.Check out ‘Baby Again..’ below:The trio’s Madison Square Garden show took place in February.
Gary Lineker will return to our TV screens later following a row which left the BBC's sport coverage in disarray. The former England international had to 'step back' from off his Match of the Day presenting duties after taking to social media to hit out at Government plans to stop small boats making the journey to Britain.
UPDATE: BBC employees will stage their biggest strike in 13 years on Wednesday after eleventh-hour talks with management failed. The walkout will force coverage of the UK government’s Budget off air and heap more embarrassment on Director-General Tim Davie, who has apologized for scheduling chaos over the Gary Lineker saga.
“Ambiguity” around social media guidelines was to blame for the BBC Gary Lineker scandal, according to Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes, who was challenged on the “creeping politicization” of UK TV news during a committee hearing this morning.
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has scrambled to avoid further disruption to its schedules after a walkout over Gary Lineker’s suspension canceled Premier League output.
Former Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards has admitted to finding it difficult to find work 24 years after leaving the popular Channel 4 soap. Jeremy first jumped onto UK screens back in 1995 as Kurt Benson, a conman and attempted murderer who was married to Terri Dwyer’s Ruth Osborne for a time .Jeremy remained in the soap until 1999, when he faked his death but has popped back up for smaller appearances in 2013 and 2020. And besides a few odd appearances in other popular UK shows, Jeremy has struggled to find acting work, which he opened up about on social media last week.
England footballing legend John Barnes says the conversation around the Home Office's controversial illegal migrant policy is being "side-tracked" by the Gary Lineker and BBC row. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, the former Liverpool player said headlines over the weekend could result in the message that Lineker was trying to get across, and the reason he spoke out in the first place, being 'lost'.
Self Esteem showed her support for Gary Lineker last night (March 11) by wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Free Gary” at her Eventim Apollo show in London.The singer-songwriter – real name is Rebecca Lucy Taylor – shared on Twitter an image of herself sporting the tee at the show, writing “Solidarity” and tagging the BBC Sport presenter.She has followed in the footsteps of Fatboy Slim, who on Friday (March 10) displayed Lineker’s face on a video screen behind him. The move was met by huge cheers from fans who were watching the DJ perform in Manchester.It comes amid a row between the BBC and Lineker after the latter on Tuesday (March 7) called the government’s controversial plan to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum an “immeasurably cruel”.
The UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has found his meeting with French premier Emmanuel Macron this weekend totally overshadowed in the British media. On Saturday evening, Sunak’s office released a statement from the PM, saying:
An unprecedented Match of the Day without presenters, pundits or commentators was watched by 500,000 more people last night than the previous week.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken out after Gary Lineker was dropped from his role on Match of the Day. The row broke out earlier this week after the former England striker took to social media to hit out at Government plans to stop small boats making the journey to Britain.
Piers Morgan has blasted the BBC's decision to pull Gary Lineker off Match of The Day. The corporation said the presenter's criticism of the government's Migration Bill was a "breach of our guidelines". The sports pundit will now be stepping back from his presenting duties until a "clear position" on his social media use is agreed upon.
More than 10 of the BBC’s highest-profile sports stars have staged an unprecedented walkout over the British broadcaster’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker. Below is a list of those who have walked out, with links to tweets explaining their reasons for joining the protest.
The BBC’s Premier League output is in freefall as mutinous presenters and pundits stage a protest over the suspension of Gary Lineker.
Fatboy Slim has thrown his support behind Gary Lineker after the footballer turned pundit was asked to “step back” from his presenting duties at the BBC.Earlier this week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman outlined the government’s controversial plan to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum.Lineker responded, calling it an “immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. Braverman then hit out at Lineker, saying that his comments “diminished the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust.There is no huge influx.
The BBC’s popular Premier League highlights show Match of the Day will air without a studio presenter or its regular roster of pundits after lead presenter Gary Lineker was asked to step back from coverage after breaking the broadcaster’s impartiality rules on Twitter.
Piers Morgan has joined a chorus of criticism against the BBC’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker after he compared British government rhetoric to Nazi Germany.
Gary Lineker has revealed that it was the BBC's decision for him to step back as presenter of Match of the Day.