Lovers of Pauline conversions will have noticed the about turn of Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, on the issue of women TV presenters (most especially, older female presenters).
Not only should the BBC not have sacked Miriam O’Reilly, the presenter of the Country File programme but, according to Thompson (now in his last years at the Beeb), there should be more older women on television.
Thompson also revealed that he hoped the defeat suffered by the BBC when O’Reilly took her age discrimination case to the employment tribunal last year would mark “a turning point” for the Corporation.
This represents a welcome volte face. It should be remembered that as well as O’Reilly’s case there was a succession of dismissals of popular older women presenters - the names of Moira Stewart and Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips come to mind.
Selina Scott, Anna Ford and Baroness Joan Bakewell have all in the past spoken of their concerns at the endemic ageism in the Corporation.
It should have been obvious long ago that something had to change but still the Corporation defended its beauty before age leif motif. Each dismissal of a much loved female presenter – supposedly past her primrose days in appearance - was defended on spurious and transparently ageist grounds.
O’Reilly was the only one who stuck it out to the bitter end with her tribunal case. To the joy of her many fans, she won.
How did BBC executives feel about this humiliation? For sure, they offered a contrite apology and willingness to learn the lessons but on 12 January this year Lorraine Heggessey, a former controller of BBC One said: “I just hope casting decisions are not going to be made by tribunals in future.”
Compounding this ridiculous over reaction, Heggessey went on about never being able to change the cast of a programme again, not being able to write out a character in East Enders and being bound by equal opportunities grids when making casting decisions.
So it seems fair to conclude that not everyone in the BBC had exactly bought into the spirit of the reconciliation they signed up to when the tribunal handed down its decision in the O’Reilly case.
As it happens, I wrote at the time to the BBC head of equalities offering to run an ageism awareness course for them. I imagine they must have made other arrangements – the offer is still there.
Thompson’s comments were greeted by a “Better late than never” tweet from TAEN. I can now go one better and announce that TAEN is organising a debate on the impact of ageism in the media.
Our interest is beyond the impact ageism has had on the Corporation and will include the ways ageist messages of all kinds become implanted into the public consciousness and beset older people, creating huge difficulties when looking for work.