LONDON – A former presenter on the BBC TV show Countryfile, who argued she had been dropped from the show because she was considered too old, has won a case for age discrimination against the broadcaster.
Miriam O’Reilly (53) argued at an employment tribunal that the BBC had removed her and other older presenters in their 40s and 50s from the rural affairs show in 2008 in favour of younger staff when management moved the programme to prime time.
The tribunal agreed with her, although it dismissed her claim that the decision amounted to sex discrimination.
“It was hard to take on the BBC because I love the BBC. I loved working there; I think it’s one of the best broadcast organisations in the world,” said Ms O’Reilly, who had worked for the corporation for more than 25 years, “but I felt I was treated badly because of my age and standing up to the BBC was the right thing to do.”
After yesterday’s verdict, the BBC apologised for its action and said it wanted to work with her again in the future.
The broadcaster will also have to pay compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings.
“We accept the findings of the tribunal and would like to apologise to Miriam,” it said. “The BBC is committed to fair selection in every aspect of our work and we clearly did not get it right in this case.”
It vowed to produce new guidelines for the selection of presenters and said the tribunal’s decision had implications for the whole industry.
Camilla Palmer, a discrimination expert at Ms O’Reilly’s lawyers Leigh Day Co, said: “Miriam has won a great victory, not only for herself but all older people in the media . . . The lesson is that presenters should be selected for their ability, not their age. Women and men on screen should not be hired or fired on the basis of their age.”
– (Reuters)