Thatcher’s ‘Golliwog’ quip angers BBC

Carol Thatcher, the exuberant daughter of the former Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is facing suspension from her job as a roving reporter on the BBC's The One Show after referring to an unnamed male tennis player as "a golliwog" while discussing the Australian Open.

She is said to have made the remark on Thursday evening while in the green room with The One Show's chief presenter Adrian Chiles and other members of the production team. It is not known who reported her, but according to the Times, Chiles, who also presents sports programmes, was "very shocked" by her comment.

The corporation is now in "urgent talks" with 55-year-old Thatcher, and is seeking a public apology before it agrees to allow her to reappear on the network either as a contributor or presenter.

A spokesman for Thatcher, perhaps not quite getting the measure of the offence, insisted that it was "an off-the-cuff remark made in jest" about the player's hairstyle, adding: "Carol never intended any racist comment. She made a light aside about this tennis player and his similarity to the golliwog on the jampot when she was growing up."

The spokesman further added that Thatcher had apologised to the programme's producer for any offence but was said to be "mortified" that someone had snitched on her. "This was a conversation between Adrian and Carol in the green room and the comment was meant as a joke. It is disgusting that we've had a leak of private conversations in the green room - the BBC has more leaks than Thames Water."

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