Sacked BBC presenter was not discriminated against - judge

A presenter who was sacked by the BBC was not discriminated against for being gay or a union representative, an employment judge found.

Jack Murley, from Bodmin, worked with BBC Radio Cornwall from 2019 until 2024.

A tribunal in Exeter heard how he was dismissed by the corporation for posts on social media that it said "breached applicable policies".

A further hearing will take place in Exeter in October, regarding the circumstances of Mr Murley's dismissal.

From 2022 Mr Murley expressed his views on the BBC's Local Value For All project on social media, which involved changes to local radio stations.

The BBC said this breached the organisation's guidelines as they failed to provide “due impartiality”.

Mr Murley, a National Union of Journalists (NUJ) representative, said these posts were acceptable given his role.

But employment judge Alastair Smail said it was "pivotal" that he had posted messages on a personal account and not one connected to the NUJ.

"It would be different if [Mr Murley] were writing the tweets on a NUJ Twitter account. He was not," he said.

Mr Murley was "a creative broadcaster" but he had been "undisciplined" in "BBC standards terms", the judge added.

He also concluded that the disciplinary action taken against him "had nothing to do" with Mr Murley's sexuality.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We do not comment on individuals. We welcome the judgment of the tribunal and won't be commenting further."

During the tribunal Jesse Crozier, representing the BBC, said the corporation "places considerable emphasis on audience and impartiality" on social media.

He said: "Mr Murley’s tweets throw that impartiality to the wind."

He also referenced Mr Murley’s Loosest Goose radio feature, which was a satirical segment that used innuendo.

"All of the witnesses were absolutely clear that the Loosest Goose had no place on BBC Radio Cornwall at midday on a Sunday," Mr Crozier said.

He continued that it was "clear there was an escalation" in Mr Murley's behaviour when he began talking about BBC management and the organisation's changes on the radio show.

He highlighted a heated conversation between Mr Murley and his manager on 29 June 2023, where the presenter refused to remove any posts and is said to have been "angry" on the phone.

Mr Crozier called this phone call "a watershed moment in this case".

"He could not be trusted to broadcast the next day," he said.

Nick Toms, representing Mr Murley, said his client used social media to voice his views on BBC changes, which put some people in local radio at risk of redundancy.

Mr Murley is seeking more than £220,000 in compensation.