Should The BBC Have Sacked Carol Thatcher?
In a much publicised move this week, the BBC have sacked Carol Thatcher from the One Show after she made some inappropriate remarks in the shows Green room.
Carol is reported to have compared a well known tennis player to a golliwog in front of presenter Adrian Chiles and comedienne Jo Brand as well as various other members of BBC staff. The BBC were quick to act and have since dropped Carol from the show.
Whilst many members of the public are behind the BBC's decision to let Carol go, there are some who find the move a tad hypocritical when comparing Carol's treatment to that of Jonathan Ross.
Daniel Hannan at The Guardian rightly point out:
"Why is Carol Thatcher sacked by the BBC for a remark which wasn't broadcast, and whose subject hasn't complained, whereas Jonathan Ross is retained despite an attack which was broadcast, and whose target plainly was upset?"
Whilst The Daily Mail claims that the BBC has no moral sense:
"Compare Miss Thatcher's treatment with that of Jonathan Ross to see how the corporation is fumbling in a vacuum, its principles and purpose long forgotten.
In Ross's case, it took days (and a public outcry) before it even crossed the BBC's mind that there might be something offensive about taunting an elderly actor with jibes about his granddaughter's sex life - and then broadcasting the stunt.
Even then, Ross was allowed to return to his £6million a year job, after a token suspension and a facetious apology - only to carry on exactly as before.
There's no such mercy for Miss Thatcher, whose very surname, of course, is enough to damn her in many BBC eyes."
Personally I can see why the BBC felt the need to dismiss Carol from The One Show. The newspapers who are now heralding Thatcher as the victim of this saga would have been singing a different song had the story been leaked and BBC took no action. I think it also needs to be recognised that Carol has not been banned from the BBC as a whole, in fact she is currently involved in BBC led projects.
Many comparisons have been drawn between Jonathan Ross's recent comments and Carol's green room joke. However, in my eyes, whilst Jonathan's remarks were crude and could be deemed as offensive, Carols were inherently racist. The fact that she said it in jest, says a lot about her mindset and attitude and her refusal to apologise in the days since the comments entered the public arena speaks volumes about an arrogant woman who can't see when she is at fault.
- Lisa McGarry's blog
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Comments
Alright, maybe in this case
Alright, maybe in this case Carol was out of line, but isn't this symptomatic of a larger issue in that anyone who says anything remotely controversial these days is automatically fired by a trigger-happy and scandal averse BBC?
You yourself reported on an incident where John Barrowman flashed his penis on a radio show and was forced by the BBC to apologise. No-one saw the incident, because it was a radio broadcast.
My fear is that television personalities are increasingly being constrained and censored by their handlers to the point where free expression and honest opinions aren't 'allowed' anymore. My own feeling is that the channel should handle 'scandals' in an upfront and honest manner - I think they should have a televised debate involving the people involved in the incident to allow them to explain themselves and to give them the opportunity to apologise to the person who was wronged.
Not only would that diffuse the tabloid scandal aspect, but it would allow mature debate on the issue in question. Can you imagine when Emily Parr called Charlie a 'nigga' in Big Brother, if they'd chaired a race debate between the housemates instead of evicting her out of hand? A much more positive experience. Thatcher should have been given a chance to elaborate on her views instead of being shut out in the cold.