BBC News presenter Martine Croxall, aged 55, is taking legal action against the broadcaster, alleging age and sex discrimination after being off-air for over a year. The experienced news presenter is scheduled to bring her case before an employment tribunal in London next month. The proceedings will also involve claims of equal pay disparities. The upcoming legal battle is expected to be one of the most high-profile tribunals faced by the BBC since it lost a gender pay dispute with Newswatch presenter Samira Ahmed in 2020.
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| BBC News presenter Martine Croxall, 55, sues broadcaster for age and sex discrimination |
Croxall was one of five female BBC News presenters who experienced uncertainty when the BBC's News and World News channels merged. Alongside Annita McVeigh, Kasia Madera, Geeta Guru-Murthy, and Karin Giannone, Croxall found herself with limited work opportunities. Despite not being on air, all five presenters continued to receive their full pay packages. However, the merger resulted in some of Croxall's colleagues, including Joanna Gosling, David Eades, and Tim Wilcox, leaving the organization. They reportedly expressed concerns about the BBC's management of the recruitment process, claiming that the corporation had preselected candidates before the application stage.
Although BBC management denied these allegations following an internal review, McVeigh and Guru-Murthy have since secured chief presenter roles and have recently appeared on air. Giannone and Madera, like Croxall, have not made any on-air appearances in over a year. Croxall, who has been with the BBC since 1991, has been in discussions with BBC executives regarding her future at the organization.
The group of female presenters previously considered legal action, asserting that they were unfairly targeted for redundancy. The recruitment process was criticized as being "humiliating" and allegedly rigged, with a list of chief presenters supposedly determined before applications opened. However, the BBC later decided to bring the presenters back under new job titles to avoid potential lawsuits. A BBC insider revealed that the group had the support of the National Union of Journalists and emphasized their capability to fulfill the roles.
Guru-Murthy and McVeigh returned to their presenting roles last month and were promoted to chief presenting positions. Croxall confirmed her return in February, expressing her delight to be back on air after a year away. The employment tribunal case, if it proceeds, will present a challenge for BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who had expressed a desire to find a fair resolution to the situation. The case also has the potential to reignite the controversy surrounding the BBC's treatment of women, following previous disputes over unequal pay and discrimination.
The listed areas to be covered in Croxall's case include the claim of suffering detriment as a member of a trade union and another reference to pay. It has been reported that the BBC has paid over £1 million in salaries, acting up pay, and freelance cover costs during the period these presenters were off-air.
During her time away from the BBC, Croxall documented her travels, including hot air balloon rides, swimming with whale sharks and sea lions, skiing in Bulgaria, and visiting an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
This legal action is not the first hurdle Croxall has faced in her career at the BBC. In 2022, she was briefly taken off air for breaking the corporation's impartiality rules by expressing excitement and laughing at remarks made about Boris Johnson during a discussion on The Papers segment. She returned to air after an 11-day absence.
Croxall's lawsuit follows a similar case involving World At One presenter Sarah Montague, who secured a £400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC for unequal treatment. In 2021, the BBC revealed spending over £1 million on legal fees to fight equal paydisputes. The corporation has been under scrutiny for its gender pay gap, with several high-profile cases highlighting disparities in salaries between male and female employees.
The outcome of Martine Croxall's legal action against the BBC remains to be seen. The case will shed further light on the issues of age and sex discrimination within the organization and may have implications for how the BBC handles such matters in the future.
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