Complaint
This bulletin included an interview with the comedy writer Graham Linehan. A viewer complained that it was conducted in an unduly sympathetic manner which tended to lend credibility to his controversial views on gender identity. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The introduction to the interview described Mr Linehan as “a vocal critic of transgender activism in recent years”, and in the ECU’s judgement the interviewer was appropriately challenging in relation to both Mr Linehan’s views and his manner of expressing them.
Not upheld