The BBC is in a British Broadcasting Crisis – and only has itself to blame

The BBC is in a British Broadcasting Crisis. The UK’s public broadcaster has had a bruising few years, which have escalated, over the last few weeks, into seemingly non-stop scandal. It’s been lambasted by the political left and right alike, prompting calls for resignations from senior management, including that of the director general. And it has only itself to blame.

In late June, there was uproar over the BBC’s livestreaming of the Glastonbury set by punk duo Bob Vylan, who led a chant against the Israeli military. Then there was the bungling of its response – apologies, condemnations, hasty changes to protocol. One Gaza documentary was found to have breached editorial guidelines, with another, about doctors in Gaza, being pulled from transmission. Alongside this, there is the endlessly unfurling debacle that is MasterChef, which has culminated in both its presenters being fired – first Gregg Wallace, who is accused of unwanted groping, indecent exposure and suggestive comments towards his co-workers, and then, yesterday, his co-host John Torode, following an allegation that he used racist language.

Given the horror stories that have emerged from the set of MasterChef, it’s clear that both Wallace and Torode had to go. Less fathomable is the thought process behind the Beeb’s axing of Nadiya Hussain, who this week upbraided her former employer in a podcast interview. Hussain won The Great British Bake Off as an amateur baker in 2015, delivering an emotional speech that was watched by 14.5 million on the BBC. “I’m never going to put boundaries on myself again,” she said. “I’m never going to say, ‘I can’t do it.’ I can and I will.” But last month, following a decade-long partnership that has yielded cooking shows, food travelogues and a documentary about her anxiety disorder, the BBC abruptly announced it would be dropping Hussain from its schedules, in effect telling her: you can’t and you won’t.

After a lengthy silence, Hussain finally shared her thoughts yesterday on the We Need to Talk podcast, telling host Paul C Brunson: “The BBC [will] keep you until you’re of no use to them. The second you don’t fit the neat little box, there’ll be no space for you.” In a conversation spanning nearly two hours, Hussain was damning about her former employers, noting how she was “sold the dream” of a TV career and yet was “always made to feel my trophy was going to get taken away from me. I felt like I always had to be grateful … [But] gratitude should not sit on your face like a muzzle”.

Hussain’s comments might just be egg on the BBC’s face, compared to, say, the more troubling scandals surrounding MasterChef – but they nonetheless expose the company’s almost compulsive knack for shooting itself in the foot. Hussain is known for BBC shows including Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Asian Odyssey, Nadiya’s Everyday Baking and Nadiya’s Fast American Adventure, all of which showcased her singular warmth, charisma and often surprising recipes (such as fish finger lasagne). Note the mononym in those titles: right from the off, Hussain’s name was crucial to the brand. So too was her Muslim identity, at least as far as the BBC was concerned. At a time when diversity was a hot topic, and many were decrying the pale, stale males at the top of the BBC, here was a woman in a hijab who had won a show with the words “Great British” in the title. And she was a hit with viewers, with fans anointing themselves #Nadiyators on social media. Not for nothing did one TV reviewer call her “a gift to television and possibly the nation”.

Of course, a job for life is not a given in the broadcasting industry, especially in today’s climate, and nor should it be. A turnover of TV presenters is a good thing, allowing fresh talent to rise through the ranks. But, as recent scandals have shown, it can take some serious transgressions before the BBC agrees to part ways with its most bankable male stars. We may never know what Hussain was being paid to front her cooking shows though it’s fair to assume it was a drop in the ocean compared to, say, the annual £1.3m the BBC stumped up for Gary Lineker, the Match of the Day presenter who left under a cloud in May and whose final year there was blighted by one row after another. Or the £475,000 it was paying the now-disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards.

Chances are, the ever-popular Hussain won’t be gone from our screens for long; I’d put money on her already being in talks with other broadcasters. But her disgruntlement at how she was treated by the BBC underlines a growing perception of dysfunction and poor decision making right at the top of the corporation. Whatever the reason for Hussain’s exit, the optics have raised eyebrows, especially given the chef’s outspoken support of Palestine – which she also discussed on yesterday’s podcast.

Making matters worse is that this current run of scandals comes at a time of existential jeopardy for the BBC. An annual report revealed that a further 300,000 households have stopped paying the licence fee, a funding system that most now agree is unenforceable. Add to that the pressure from other, better-funded streaming services, plus the expiring charter in 2027, and the future of the UK’s national broadcaster looks ever more uncertain.

Just two months ago, the director general, Tim Davie, delivered an impassioned speech about trust – in each other, in information and in our institutions. It is “the glue that holds us together”, he said. It’s time for the BBC to get its house in order and win back that trust before it’s too late.

Stella Creasy thanks passengers for intervening after she was ‘hassled’ on Tube

A Labour MP has thanked London Underground passengers for rushing to her defence as she was hassled by a man.

Stella Creasy was on the Victoria Line when she began to be harassed by the male passenger in an incident she is planning to report to the police.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Walthamstow MP said: “If you were one of the passengers on the victoria line just now who intervened to stop a man hassling me thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“Please get in touch with my office if you are prepared to be a witness as maybe the police might listen to you about him now!”

The Independent contacted Ms Creasy to ask for more details. TFL was contacted for comment.

Ms Creasy has been repeatedly targeted with abuse, lashing out last year at the crusade of harassment launched against her by anti-abortion activists, an issue on which she has campaigned.

In a moving interview with The Independent, Ms Creasy said she was facing “a bonfire of abuse” from anti-abortion ideologues on social media in punishment for campaigning on abortion rights.

And in 2013, a man was arrested after launching a torrent of violent abuse on social media at Ms Creasy.

Peter Nunn, a blogger from Bristol, was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment in September 2014 for sending messages to Ms Creasy calling her a witch and retweeting rape threats.

She and other feminist campaigners were harassed after expressing support for the image of author Jane Austen to be placed on a banknote.

After the incident, Ms Creasy was forced to have a panic button installed in her home.

Ms Creasy’s latest incident comes months after a cross-party inquiry warned that democracy is being undermined by the scale of abuse, threats and intimidation facing MPs.

A survey by the Speaker’s Conference revealed about half of MPs said threatening behaviour had caused anxiety or depression (49 per cent), with a similar share feeling unsafe as a result (52 per cent).

The inquiry concluded that electoral law is “not fit for purpose” in relation to tackling abuse of political candidates in elections and called for a Government review to assess security and electoral integrity.

This phase of the Conference was established in 2024 to help ensure that elections to Parliament are conducted freely and fairly, without threats or violence.

It also seeks to enable candidates to campaign safely and support elected representatives to do their job securely.

Commenting on the findings, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Commons Speaker and chairman of the Speaker’s Conference, said: “Participating in free and fair democratic processes – as a candidate or a Member of Parliament – is a privilege, and we expect that to come with robust political discourse and debate.

“But abuse, threats and intimidation should never be part of this job. It threatens the health of our democracy, and forces people to choose between the public good and their own safety and wellbeing.

“I am grateful to members, their staff and the witnesses we have heard from to date for sharing their experiences with us and look forward to working with colleagues on the next phase of the Conference’s work.”

Emma Watson banned from driving for six months after speeding

Harry Potter actor Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding.

Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford on the evening of 31 July 2024.

The 35-year-old, who is now a student, was made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Watson already had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred, the court heard.

A driver can be banned, typically for a six-month period, if they accumulate 12 or more penalty points on their licence within three years.

Watson did not attend the five-minute hearing.

The actor rose to fame after playing Hermione, one of the titular character’s best friends, in all eight of the Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011.

As an adult, she had high-profile roles in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.

Watson later turned her attention to her studies and began a Master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford in September 2023.

She later switched to a DPhil, which is the university’s version of a PhD.

Separately, Zoe Wanamaker, who starred alongside Watson in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone – the first film in the series – was also banned from driving for six months during a hearing at the same court on Wednesday.

Wanamaker appeared in the 2001 film as Madam Hooch, the Quidditch instructor.

The court heard she was caught speeding on 7 August 2024 on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire.

The 76-year-old drove her blue Volvo at 46mph in a 40mph limit, the court heard.

Wanamaker, who like Watson already had nine points on her licence, was also fined £1,044 and banned for six months.

She also did not attend the short hearing.

Captain Tom’s daughter joins TikTok as ‘resilience coach’

Captain Tom’s daughter has launched a new TikTok channel rebranding herself as a “resilience coach” just one year after a report found she had pocketed more than £1m from links to the charity set up in his name.

Hannah Ingram-Moore, 54, has begun sharing motivational quotes under the title “Moore moments”, but has attracted negative attention from members of the public who have accused her of having “absolutely no shame”.

A damning report from the charities regulator last year found a “repeated pattern of behaviour” which saw Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin make private gains, which the watchdog said will have left the public feeling “misled”.

Sir Tom, who died in February 2021, became a household name during the pandemic, raising millions for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden in lockdown.

But separately, a £1.4 million book deal and an £18,000 awards ceremony appearance fee were among the financial benefits Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore enjoyed through their family links to the Captain Tom Foundation.

In one of the videos filmed last month, she says: “The last few years have tested me. The criticism, the judgement, the noise, but here is what I have learnt.

“Self-doubt gets louder when you’re under pressure. Confidence that comes from keeping going quietly, consistently, even when people doubt you.

“You don’t have to prove them wrong, you just have to believe in yourself and trust your truth.”

However, the videos have attracted criticism, with one user commenting: “Waiting for you to stop trying to connect to the general public. You are tone deaf to the voices of the country who feel you let them down.”

Another added: ‘Sounds like you have convinced yourself of your version of the ‘truth’.”

Speaking to the BBC in March, Mrs Ingram-Moore announced she plans to write and publish her own books about grief, loneliness and resilience, and repeated her insistence there was no intention to mislead the public over Captain Tom Foundation.

She said the charity had been set up after a family discussion about how to ensure Sir Tom’s legacy, but that “in hindsight, we didn’t need to do that”.

She added: “It didn’t need to be set up as a charity. We could have continued that legacy without it, because what it’s done is all but completely derailed our lives.”

Asked if her biggest regret was setting up the foundation, she said: “We didn’t set it up.

“It was set up with my father’s name, and that is our deepest regret.”

A report last year also criticised the couple’s use of the charity name for an initial planning application for a Captain Tom Foundation building in the grounds of their Grade II listed home in Bedfordshire.

A revised planning application later contained a spa pool facility and did not feature the word “charity” or “foundation”. It was refused by the local council and a demolition notice was issued, with the building levelled in February 2024.

Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore said the inclusion of the charity’s name in the original planning application was an “error, though they did have the intention to use the building for charitable purposes”.

Israel bombs Syria’s military HQ in Damascus

Israel launched rare airstrikes in Damascus, damaging the defence ministry as it vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that the “painful blows have begun” in a post on X, alongside a video of a Syrian presenter interrupted live by the airstrike.

The explosion caused the camera to shake before the presenter quickly took shelter. A large explosion erupted behind her with smoke bellowing.

In a separate TRT video, a presenter is shown ducking as a burst of red explosion flared up before the building is engulfed in smoke.

On the same day, Syrian Druze leader Hajari rejected a ceasefire deal between a religious leader and the government, saying fighting should continue until Sweida is “entirely liberated”.

US President Donald Trump’s administration again asked Israel to halt strikes on Syria and engage in dialogue with the government in Damascus, Axios reported, citing a senior US official.

Israel‘s attack came hours after a drone strike on the same building. Syrian state media reported at least 13 people wounded. Another strike hit near the presidential palace in the hills outside of Damascus.

Since fighting broke out in the south, Israel has launched dozens of strikes targeting government troops and convoys, which it says are in support of the religious minority group, and has vowed to escalate its involvement.

At least 200 people have been killed in fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam, and is deeply suspicious of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.

An Israeli military spokesperson said: “The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime’s military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria.

“The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syrian The IDF is striking in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria because of their deep ties to those living in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Tensions between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters have continued since Sunni rebels led a lightning assault to topple former president Bashar al-Assad in early December.

The violence highlights President Al-Sharaa’s struggle to maintain control, as many minorities continue to distrust his Islamist-led government.

Distrust was heightened after Syrian troops and allied militia were accused of massacring hundreds of Alawites in March.

While the transitional government promised to include religious minorities, only one Druze minister was appointed in the new cabinet – minister of agriculture Amjad Badr.

When my friends were facing cancer, a community of people stepped up

When I was younger, I used to worry incessantly about my parents getting cancer. I’d lay awake at night, ruminating on what would happen to my brother and I if they did. Who would support us? Thankfully, both are still cancer-free, well into their seventies.

However, now that I’m a parent myself, I worry about my children. Many people believe that cancer only really happens to people in old age, but that’s just not true. One beloved friend’s daughter died of leukaemia in 2020, aged just five; an unthinkable horror that changed the lives of everyone who knew her and her family.

And with Macmillan Cancer Support reporting that almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer, I also worry about my friends – parents themselves, their lives touched by cancer. One friend sat me down in our favourite local café, our toddlers playing at our feet, to break the news that she was about to undergo a double mastectomy. We cried together.

Another friend, Sarah, a single parent to two teenage girls, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before we heard that King Charles had cancer, and a month before the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, announced her own diagnosis in March last year. It seemed like cancer was everywhere.

As a result, Sarah put 2024 on hold – she missed her daughter’s last sports day and last concert at primary school and had to find a whole new way of co-ordinating family life.

“I’m lucky in some ways that my children are teenagers, so they are able to look after themselves to some degree – but I’m also a single parent, so there are some things that they can’t do, or struggle with, due to their age,” she tells me.

“I have even set up multiple alarms on our Alexa reminding them to put their packed lunches in their bags or leave for school, just in case I can’t get up.”

Sarah says she thought she knew quite a lot about cancer prior to her diagnosis, but now admits she “really didn’t”. She explains: “There are so many terms and procedures to understand – stages and grades, not to mention over 100 different chemotherapy drugs.”

Sarah tells me about the exhausting cumulative effect of chemotherapy, which she endured every three weeks during her cancer treatment: “After the very first lot, I slept for a few hours and felt much better pretty quickly. For my last rounds, I slept for 48 hours solid and even days later, I needed to have a nap in the middle of the day and was in bed by 8pm.”

Sarah’s now finished chemotherapy and, a year on from her diagnosis, is turning 50. She’s throwing a huge party to celebrate not only the birthday milestone, but getting over this “annus horriblis” – a year she couldn’t have gotten through without the people around her.

“People can do so much for us when we are unwell – and I am forever grateful,” she says. “I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support that my friends have given me; from ferrying around my children to and from after-school events and sleepovers when things get bad, to my 75-year-old neighbour mowing the lawn. One friend popped round with a huge pot of pasta sauce and I even had a gift box from a recruiter at work.”

What talking to my strong, resilient friends about their cancer journeys has made me realise most, is the power of community: for when we receive the worst news imaginable, what we need is people around us to see us through. A community of other women: friends, school mums, neighbours.

They had people willing to make them food, pick up their children, go shopping for them or to just sit with them and listen. They had support when they decided to raise money for cancer support charities, when they did fundraisers such as hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning.

It takes a village to raise a child – and that village will be with you every step of the way when you need them most.

Find out how you can help raise vital funds by hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning. Sign up now on the Macmillan website

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

John Torode left ‘heartbroken’ after learning of MasterChef sacking online

John Torode was left “heartbroken” after discovering he had been sacked from MasterChef online.

Shortly after news broke of the celebrity chef being dropped from the cookery show, he released a statement revealing he had not “heard from anyone at the BBC” or the production company behind the series.

It’s now been reported that Torode’s agent was called 11 minutes before his sacking was announced to the public and that his agent “hadn’t a chance to call him”.

“He read about it on the BBC News website,” a source told The Sun. “Obviously he’s heartbroken. He feels he’s been made a scapegoat off the back of the Gregg Wallace report.”

The Independent has contacted the BBC, Banijay UK and Torode for comment.

Torode, 59, was fired for using “an extremely offensive racist term”, which the chef said he has “no recollection” of making.

The allegation against him was upheld after being made during a seven-month investigation into the show, which substantiated 45 claims of misconduct against his co-host Wallace, including one of unwelcome physical contact.

Wallace, who joined the revamped version of the show with Torode in 2005, has also been fired.

On Monday (14 July), Torode confirmed that he was being investigated over his language, but said he was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation and said he knows any racial language “is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.

After being dropped from the show without consultation, he said: “I’d hoped that I’d have some say in my exit from a show I’ve worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seem to have prevented that.”

“Over the past few months, I have been considering my life and the shape of it now and in the future,” he continued, revealing it was “time to pass the cutlery to someone else”.

Torode said he “will watch fondly from afar as I now focus on the many other exciting projects that I have been working towards”, adding that his “tummy will be grateful for a rest after 20 years of eating”.

He said his time on the show has been “a joy” and revealed that he had recently filmed a series of Celebrity MasterChef with Wallace’s replacement Grace Dent as well as two Christmas specials.

Torode has also filmed a MasterChef series with Wallace, the fate of which is currently unknown. BBC director-general Tim Davie said a decision is yet to be made about its broadcast but explained on Tuesday (15 July) that the “difficulty” surrounds the chef participants who spent time away from their jobs to be on the show.

In a statement , the BBC said that the allegation against Torode involved “an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace” and was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin.

“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

Meanwhile, more than half of the 83 allegations against Wallace, including inappropriate sexual language and being in a state of undress, were upheld.

The TV personality said he is “deeply sorry for any distress” caused and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone with his behaviour.

Mapped: Where £100m of Premium Bond prizes remain unclaimed

Millions of Premium Bonds holders are sitting on cash prizes worth up to £100,000 which they are yet to claim, new data has revealed.

There are more than £100m worth of prizes going unclaimed, the latest figures from National Savings & Investments (NS&I) shows, marking the first time the figure has tipped over the threshold.

Across all regions of the UK, there are 2,598,139 unclaimed prizes, ranging from the lowest amount of £25 to 11 jackpots of £100,000.

The region with the highest number of unclaimed prizes is the South East, with 389,713 worth £14,996,600. However, it is London that holds the highest value in unclaimed prizes, with £15,338,425 split between 386,616 prizes.

Premium Bonds are an investment product run by the government-owned NS&I. Each month, millions of savers are entered into a draw to win tax-free cash prizes ranging from £25 to £1m, with two millionaires made at every draw.

There are now 24 million people taking part in the scheme, with more than £127bn banked. These savings don’t accrue interest as with regular bank accounts, but are put up against a random digital prize picker called “Ernie” – the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment.

The main cause of the unpaid prizes is that around one in 10 are still paid by cheque, which are sent to the address given by the account holder. While the most-chosen option is a direct bank transfer, this still meant there were around 600,000 cheques sent out in July alone.

Prizes are considered to be unclaimed after 18 months according to NS&I, and can be collected no matter how long ago they were won. Because of this, the number of unclaimed prizes has gradually accumulated over the years.

The savings bank explains that most of the unclaimed prizes have been won by account holders who have not registered their details, or have moved without updating them.

Premium Bonds account holders can use NS&I’s online prize checker or prize checker app to find out if they have any unclaimed prizes.

A spokesperson said for NS&I: “NS&I has successfully paid out over 99 per cent of all Premium Bonds prizes to our winners since 1957. The amount of prizes currently unclaimed represents just 0.28 per cent of the total £37bn awarded by Ernie over nearly seven decades.

“We want to reunite people with their prizes, so this is a timely reminder that even for small holdings that may have been held for many years, it is worth registering your details with NS&I.”