Carol Thatcher dropped from BBC show after 'golliwog' comment

TimesOnline-Sean O'Neill
Carol Thatcher has been dropped from The One Show by the BBC after referring to a tennis player as a golliwog in an off-air conversation.

The journalist daughter of Baroness Thatcher, the former Prime Minister, is understood to have refused a request from the BBC to offer an unconditional apology for her comment.

She used the word during a conversation about the Australian Open tennis tournament in the green room after the programme last Thursday while having a drink with Adrian Chiles, the presenter. It is understood to have been a reference to a player in the mens competition.

BBC sources said that Chiles and other programme staff took great offence at her language. Thatcher adamantly denies that she was being racist and maintains that the remark was off the cuff and a joke. Neither the BBC nor Thatchers representatives have identified the male tennis player who was under discussion.

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• Carol
• Thatcher
• BBC
• show
• golliwog
• gaffe
• racist
• apology
• open
• silly
• joke
• joeroberts1996
• bad

[CalumJosephScott]

it is a factual based programme

[joeroberts1996]

what do you mean by 'factual based'

[joeroberts1996]

soz didnt no wat a golliwog was wasnt alive

[penninefilms]

This just show how stupid we are all getting a Golliwog is a black doll.

[lynottlives]

Typical right-wing attitude....oh racism is over let's not worry about it. Then the minute a black person or a muslim makes a bad comment about white people suddenly it's 'this is racism!!'...denying the existence of racism is actually worse than someone saying gollywog or the n word, it shows real delusion and ignorance..

[comanchio1976]

@LillabetteHane How do you know she doesnt give a fuck? How many newsreaders have you seen throwing tantrums and smashing up their studios when something offends them?

None, you thick fucker, they're supposed to act impartial.

[Dendiol]

A storm in a teacup. People need to get a life if they are offended by this.

[shelldalebrits]

@spiderman3spider ha Typical black hypocrisy .You go on about racism then make a clearly racist comment about ALL WHITE ppl think they are superior and white people are selfish and spoilt ??????

You can class yourself in the ignorant group as well 

[theLdogg]

People arguing over the dolls, whatever you think about them isn't the issue, it's just unacceptable to call a black person a golliwog. I'm not saying she is racist but she is ignorant and pig-headed in not acknowledging any fault in what she said. This isn't some crazy political correctness where she said "the black one" and everyone went ccrazy, she called him a "froggy golliwog guy" without irony. the connotations of the term are racist even though she may not have been intended it that way

[GianTheMan91]

and if a gooliwog is offensive then why the fuck do they allow the stereotype of the dolmio advert which i fucking hate cause i'm italian. its far more offensive but i guess it's alright cause we're white fuckin hell that is ten times more offensive than a golliwog. how many italians are in britain? i dont actually know but i bet its just as many as there are black people but i guess its only racism if its against black peopple

[kierantpd]

"The former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher made the comment". I think the reporter will find this isn't the former Prime Minister but her daughter!

[FreakBoi2008]

@BeckyButts Now I haven't heard the actual context so I'm not going to call Carol Thatcher a racist because I know that this shit can be blown out of proportion and people are made to sound like they're saying things that they haven't really said. However, Golliwog, though not a racist word without context- is racist when used to describe black people. The toys are based on black stereotypes, therefore its racist. I don't know why you're going on about jews given that its completely unrelated

[Patricklucey5]

the apple rarely falls far from the tree.