The BBC has issued a formal, full, and unconditional apology to former radio presenter Jack Murley, acknowledging repeated incidents of homophobic and discriminatory abuse he experienced while employed by the broadcaster.
Murley, who worked at BBC Radio Cornwall for five years, was dismissed in 2024 for alleged breaches of the BBC’s editorial and social media policies. His posts had criticised cuts to local radio and were deemed not impartial by the organisation.
Following his dismissal, Murley brought a case to the Employment Tribunal, alleging he was targeted due to his sexual orientation and for being an active union representative with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
However, in February 2025, the tribunal ruled that Murley had not been discriminated against. A later judgment in October upheld the BBC’s decision to terminate his employment, finding it to be “reasonable”.
BBC Internal Investigation Confirms Abuse
Despite the tribunal’s ruling, a separate internal BBC investigation reportedly confirmed that Murley was subjected to multiple instances of homophobic abuse over several years, including from individuals within the BBC. The investigation also pointed to “managerial failings” in how the abuse was handled.
Murley shared the news via social media on 18 December, revealing that he had met in person with senior BBC managers to receive the apology.
“I met in-person with senior members of the BBC’s management to receive a formal, full and unconditional apology for repeated incidents of homophobic and discriminatory abuse that I was subjected to while working at the Corporation,” Murley wrote in an emotional Instagram post.
He explained that the abuse was well-documented in a high-level whistleblowing report compiled by the BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team, and that the BBC has now formally accepted all of the report’s findings.
“I Was Telling the Truth”
“Today, the BBC has admitted those incidents occurred – and apologised unconditionally for them. I wasn’t lying. It did happen. I was telling the truth. And today, the BBC has accepted that I was telling the truth as well,” Murley said.
He also acknowledged the emotional toll the last two years had taken, particularly as his credibility had been publicly questioned throughout the legal process.
“It wasn’t easy for me to relive these experiences,” he wrote, before thanking supporters: “Your support – today, over the past two years, always – has meant everything.”
BBC Declines Further Comment
A spokesperson for the BBC responded to media inquiries with a brief statement:
“We welcomed the tribunal judgement, which was widely reported on in October, and won’t be commenting further.”
