‘Frustrated’ new BBC executive is ‘taking Martine Croxall ”bias” row incredibly seriously’ as corporation ‘urgently reviews’ presenter saying she was ‘gleeful’ after Boris Johnson pulled out of leadership race
- Martine Croxall being investigated by the BBC after comments on Sunday night
- She sparked fury for saying she was ‘gleeful’ after Mr Johnson quit race to be PM
- The BBC presenter giggled at jokes about the former PM on The Papers show
- She said: ‘This is all very exciting… Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well, I am’
- Now a top BBC boss is understood to be taking the ‘bias’ probe ‘very seriously’
Frustrated BBC bosses took swift and ‘robust’ action after one of their veteran news presenters sparked an impartiality row and are tasking the alleged breach ‘very seriously’, it can be revealed.
Martine Croxall sparked outrage by saying ‘am I allowed to be this gleeful?’ as she smiled broadly shortly after the news broke that Boris Johnson had dropped out of the Tory leadership contest on Sunday night.
But within hours of making the statement on Sunday evening’s The Papers programme, the experienced journalist was accused of bias and suspended by head honchos at the British institution.
Now, the MailOnline understands the decision was taken by a newly-hired top news chief, who was furious at Ms Croxall’s comments.
Deborah Turness, who took up her post as the BBC’s new chief executive of news and current affairs last month, is understood to have been integral in the decision to take swift and ‘robust’ action in Ms Croxall’s case, and that she regards the issue as incredibly serious.
Martine Croxall, left, pictured with a beaming smile on Sunday’s The Papers programme on the BBC News Channel, with Deborah Turness, right, head of BBC News and current affairs, who is understood to have played a key part in suspending Ms Croxall
A BBC insider suggested Ms Turness regarded the incident as very ‘frustrating’ given the lengths to which the Corporation has gone, during a tumultuous political period, to remain strictly impartial.
The drama was sparked by throwaway comments by 53-year-old Ms Croxall, whose programme aired about 90 minutes after Mr Johnson shocked the political world by pulling out of the Tory leadership race.
Presenting the show, in which members of the press and experts look at the next day’s publications, Ms Croxall said: ‘Well this is all very exciting, isn’t it?’ adding: ‘Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.’
She then introduced the guests she would be reviewing the papers with, political journalists Tony Grew of the Sunday Times and Camilla Turner of the Daily Telegraph, and excitedly added: ‘Can we even show you the front pages just yet. Have they arrived? No, they haven’t arrived. It’s all a bit, you know, lastminute.com isn’t it because all of the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.’
Mr Grew later said of reports that Mr Johnson thinks he would be well placed to lead the Tories into a general election in 2024: ‘Boris Johnson thinks he should be world king, of course he thinks he’s best placed to win an election in 2024. He probably thinks he is best placed to win the American election in 2024.’
Responding to the guest’s joke aimed at Johnson, she said: ‘I shouldn’t probably [laugh]. I’m probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.’
The comments came just minutes after Boris Johnson, seen arriving at Gatwick on Saturday, shocked the political world by announcing he was pulling out the Tory leadership race
Clips of the presenter’s comments soon went viral, sparking outrage among MPs and viewers, leading to the BBC’s action to suspend her. At present, it is not known how long this suspension will be for or how long the investigation will last.
Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries accused Ms Croxall of bias and said on Twitter: ‘The BBC is a public service broadcaster paid for by the general public who overwhelmingly voted for a Conservative government.
‘This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is.’
Tory campaigner Ben Obese-Jecty tweeted that Miss Croxall ‘is rightly being pilloried for this partisan display of giddy excitement… This lapse of impartiality and professionalism illustrates why so many accuse the BBC of bias.’
Ex-prime minister Theresa May’s former joint chief of staff Nick Timothy tweeted: ‘Whatever you think of Johnson, if you care about the BBC you cannot think this is in any way acceptable from one of its presenters.’
Who is Martine Croxall?
Martine has been a journalist with the BBC for almost 30 years.
She first joined BBC Radio Leicester in 1993 before moving to BBC’s London base to join its regional team covering the south-east.
But since May 2021, she has been a presenter on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News often appearing on air between Thursday and Sunday.
In 2015 she was praised for her coverage of the terror attack in Paris.
The journalist was also championed in April, 2021, when she tearfully broke the news of Prince Philip’s death.
A technical gaffe in January 2020 saw Ms Croxall going viral when a rogue camera panned past her during a live broadcast.
Away from the news, as Ms Croxall was crowned Celebrity Mastermind in March, storming to victory against the likes of The Vivienne from Ru Paul’s Drag Race, presenter Maria McErlane and DJ, Ace.
A statement from the broadcaster said: ‘BBC News is urgently reviewing last night’s edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality.
‘It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.’
Ms Croxall’s action also led to a furious backlash from viewers who demanded action from regulator Ofcom.
One wrote on Twitter: ‘#MartineCroxall is absolutely disgusting. The #BBC is supposed to be impartial at all times. We all know the corporation is full to the brim of Left-wing whackos, but now they don’t even try to hide it.’
Another furious social media user tweeted: ‘Martine Croxall is rightly being pilloried for this partisan display of giddy excitement as news broke of Boris Johnson dropping out of the leadership contest. This lapse of impartiality and professionalism illustrates why so many accuse the BBC of bias.’
‘Martine Croxall – awful bloody woman, just another very good reason to defund the BBC,’ added another user.
Later in the programme, the presenter forgot to put her microphone on, with viewers left struggling to hear her introduction to the newspaper review show.
Ms Croxall never commented on specifically what she was ‘gleeful’ about during the show.
In March, Ms Croxall triumphed on Celebrity Mastermind, beating the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne to the coveted title.
The episode saw the presenter scoring ten points during her specialist subject round before bagging a further 11 in the general knowledge questions.
She spoke to presenter Clive Myrie on what it was like to be a newsreader on the day Prince Philip died, on April 9 last year, in which she tearfully broke the news on the BBC.
She said: ‘We were messing around a little bit between 11 and 12 o’clock because it was quite a quiet news day.
‘Then if you look closely at the sweeping shot to the 12 o’clock headlines there were three people running across the newsroom because there’s some big story.
‘So, we go into the headlines at midday and I think everything is fine and then my producer says, “Martine, we think the Duke of Edinburgh’s died”. And I had this incredible sense in my body that I wanted to get up and run away.’
At the time of the broadcast of the monarch’s death, viewers praised Ms Croxall for her composure, despite being visibly emotional while reading the statement from Buckingham Palace.
One said: ‘Martine Croxall did a tremendous job, only a moment before her necklace has caught around her mic and she explained it when the camera came back to her.
‘Next thing she was reading out the breaking news, the catch in her voice betraying her upset as she read the words.’
Ms Croxall has previously appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
Ms Croxall was involved in breaking the news of Prince Philip’s death in April 2021
But the newsreader has been involved in her share of technical gaffes while presenting the news.
In January 2020, she was involved in a hysterical live blunder while reading the afternoon bulletin.
As she started to read the top stories of the day, the camera panned straight past her to the news desk, in a humiliating gaffe.
‘Hello everybody, this is Afternoon Live,’ the presenter began, before she disappeared as the camera zipped straight past her.
‘I’ve lost you,’ she said. ‘I shall make my way back to the desk.
‘I think that’s the safest thing to do. Do excuse me, I shall tell you all about our too story in just one second.’
MailOnline has approached Ofcom for comment about Ms Croxall’s statements on Sunday evening, as well as the journalist’s agents.
Last week Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy was also taken off air, for a week, after he swore at Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker following an interview.
The broadcaster said the presenter’s outburst towards the Tory MP had breached its ‘strict’ code of conduct.
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