'It was tolerated' | BBC failed to act on homophobic abuse in the workplace, probe finds

The BBC failed to act on reports of homophobic abuse by staff, an internal investigation has found.

Jack Murley alleged he was subjected to repeated homophobic remarks, including being called “fairy boy”, and was told by a manager to sound “less gay” while on air at BBC Radio Cornwall.

Murley was dismissed in 2024 after breaching the broadcaster’s editorial and social media guidelines by posting online about proposed changes to BBC Local. An employment tribunal later found the dismissal was “reasonable” and not linked to discrimination over his sexuality.

Despite that ruling, the BBC has acknowledged shortcomings in how Murley’s complaints about workplace behaviour were handled, issuing a formal apology too.