Miriam Margolyes says BBC bosses are monstrous for expecting people to shut up
Good Morning Britain panel debates Gary Lineker comments
Miriam Margolyes has vowed to continue speaking her mind even if it means she could no longer be employed by the BBC as she defended Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. The Harry Potter actress, 82, said she is “totally in favour” of Gary and encouraged him to keep speaking out.
She told Times Radio’s Jane Garvey and Fi Glover: “I worked for the BBC all my life from the very beginning of my career, and I have never shut up. So, if the BBC chooses not to employ me anymore, well, I’ll be deeply sad, but I think they’re wrong…
“If you speak when you’re doing your job for the BBC, then you should, but if you are a person at home being interviewed, then you should say what you think. I think it’s monstrous to expect people to shut up.”
The comedian added that she’s noticed “a lot of contracts” from film companies have tried to “muzzle” their employees.
Miriam concluded: “In a lot of contracts that I’m offered recently from film companies, nothing to do with the BBC, that they want you not to talk about your salary. How dare they try to muzzle their employees? I find that really scary.”
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Her comments come after Gary, 63, faced fresh criticism after backing a campaign criticising the government’s Rwanda policy.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Gary should “stick to TV” and questioned whether he should express political views.
In response, the BBC said the father-of-four is “free to contribute to projects for third parties, as long as these do not conflict with his BBC commitments, breach guidelines on conflicts of interest; nor bring the BBC into disrepute”.
Earlier this year, the former footballer was at the centre of an impartiality row after he compared the government’s treatment of asylum seekers to “Nazi Germany”.
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As a result, he was briefly suspended from Match Of The Day and the BBC laid out new rules for its presenters’ social media use.
The guidelines state that presenters of “flagship programmes” must “respect the BBC’s impartiality” during the periods their shows are on air and the two weeks before and after transmission.
This means that presenters cannot endorse or attack any political party, “criticise the character” of any individual politicians in the UK, nor comment on issues that are “a matter of political debate” during an election or referendum anywhere in the UK.
Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
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