Liz Kershaw, 63, has spoken about how the BBC have ‘done her a favour’ after she accused them of sacking her for being over 60.
The presenter’s departure from BBC Radio 6 Music after 20 years in March reignited the criticism of the corporation’s treatment of older women, after she tweeted: ‘I got sacked from @BBC6Music because they don’t want women over 60.’
But she is now seeing the positive side of things and is using her spare time to tick off things on her bucket list like travelling across Europe.
Honest: Liz Kershaw, 63, has spoke of how the BBC have ‘done her a favour’ after she accused them of sacking her for being over 60
She told Lorraine on Friday: ‘This isn’t a winger, they’ve actually done me a favour. I got up all throughout the day, I went in throughout lockdown cos I knew it was important for people trapped in their homes alone.
‘And then as soon as I stopped someone said, ‘Do you want to go out this weekend?’ and I can do it.
‘I’ve got a bucket list and one thing is to jive from my friend’s house in Barcelona, down the Amalfi coast and down to Sicily. I’ll have the music blasting out.’
On the daytime chat show Lorraine Kelly in response then praised ITV for ‘valuing the experience’ of its staff – regardless of their age.
Difficult: The presenter’s departure from BBC Radio 6 Music after 20 years in March reignited the criticism of the corporation’s treatment of older women, after she tweeted: ‘I got sacked from @BBC6Music because they don’t want women over 60’
Speaking to former BBC DJ Liz in the studio, Lorraine revealed how her skills and experience in her years of work were ‘prized’ by ITV.
Liz, who believes she was sacked from the BBC for being over 60, said she felt the broadcaster was ‘diverse in everything but age’.
Lorraine said: ‘That’s really interesting. We’re about the same age, I’m going to be 63 in November. The thing about here and working on Daytime in ITV, experience is really valued. It really is.
Plans: But she told Lorraine on Friday that she is now seeing the positive side of things and is using her spare time to tick off things on her bucket list like travelling across Europe
‘It doesn’t matter if you’re on air or off air, whether you’re working in production or one of the crew, it’s actually valued and it’s prized, because it’s that thing of amassing loads of experience and being able to share that with everyone.’
Of Liz’s departure, Lorraine said: ‘This is mad you are in your prime. You’re at the top of your game, you’ve got all this experience you’ve amassed, it’s a great time in your life to be celebrating and it just seems really sad.
Liz replied: ‘I’m a walking encyclopaedia. Ever since I’ve been young I’ve soaked it all up – no longer required.’
Honest: Liz, who believes she was sacked from the BBC for being over 60, said she felt the broadcaster was ‘diverse in everything but age’
‘You’ve got nearly 20 blokes on the BBC pop music stations aged between 60 and 80, a lot of them pushing 80. How many women have you got?
‘You’ve got two now I’m gone. You’ve got Elaine Paige on a Sunday afternoon playing songs from the musicals and you’ve got Anne Nightingale who somehow – she was the first female DJ I listened to growing up – she’s 82 or something.
‘She records a programme and it’s put out at 2am on a Sunday morning and that’s it.’
A statement from the BBC said: ‘All radio schedules evolve and the recent schedule changes will allow us to explore other musical stories.
Trouble: It is the latest controversy to hit the BBC. In 2011 presenter Miriam O’Reilly (pictured), then 53, won a case for age discrimination against the corporation after she was dropped from its flagship rural affairs show Countryfile
‘We always discuss changes and our editorial plans with affected presenters. There were no other factors involved in the decisions, and we are proud to have a diverse range of presenters on TV and radio.’
Kershaw was responding to a campaign calling for a parliamentary debate on the way ‘women are being erased from public services and institutions’.
It is the latest controversy to hit the BBC. In 2011 presenter Miriam O’Reilly, then 53, won a case for age discrimination against the corporation after she was dropped from its flagship rural affairs show Countryfile.
Two years ago, fresh allegations of ageism arose when the BBC announced that Sue Barker’s 23-year stint as host of A Question Of Sport was coming to an end. The 66-year-old broadcaster, who said last week that this year’s Wimbledon would be her last as a BBC presenter, was replaced by comedian Paddy McGuinness, who is 48.
Opinions: Of Liz’s departure, Lorraine said: ‘This is mad you are in your prime. You’re at the top of your game, you’ve got all this experience you’ve amassed and it just seems really sad’
Kershaw’s last major project for BBC 6 Music was the 16-part Legends In Their Own Lunchtime series in which she chatted to music icons including Debbie Harry, Boy George and Pete Townshend.
Friends of the DJ, who found fame in the 1980s, claimed the BBC had never explained the reason for her show being axed.
‘The show had strong ratings and then Liz was told that it wasn’t wanted anymore,’ said one. Of course, nobody said to her that the decision had been motivated by her age. In fact, she has never been given a reason.’
A BBC insider rejected claims of sexism and ageism, pointing out that Kershaw had recently presented a four-episode Radio 2 series on the biggest-selling musical acts of the Queen’s reign as part of its Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
But Kershaw stood by her claims last night, saying: ‘I don’t want it to be all about me because I think it’s a bigger issue than that. At the same time, I don’t think it’s a job for life and you do have to make room for new people.
‘But it just seems quite remarkable that whereas there are many men in their sixties, seventies and eighties on these pop stations there are hardly any women.’
Decisions: Two years ago, fresh allegations of ageism arose when the BBC announced that 66-year-old Sue Barker’s 23-year stint as host of A Question Of Sport was coming to an end
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