The BBC has issued an official apology to former radio presenter Jack Murley, acknowledging the homophobic abuse he endured during his time at the broadcaster — abuse that he says was tolerated by staff in positions of power.
Murley, who worked at BBC Radio Cornwall for five years, alleged he was subjected to repeated slurs from colleagues, including being called a “poof” and “fairy boy”. One co-worker reportedly told him gay people were “a lot more likely to die of AIDS”. On top of this, Murley said he received frequent abuse from listeners through emails, texts, calls, and even posted hate mail quoting Bible verses.
When he raised the abuse with management, he claims he was told it wasn’t their responsibility to deal with it — and was even instructed to sound “less gay” on air.
“I was telling the truth all along”
Murley, 37, shared details of his experience publicly in December 2025, following the outcome of an employment tribunal. He said he had received a “formal, full and unconditional apology” from senior BBC management in a private meeting.
While the BBC did not initially acknowledge that meeting, it has now formally recognised its apology in a statement published on its own website.
In a letter addressed to Murley, Jason Horton, the BBC’s Chief Operating Officer for Nations, apologised for “the behaviours and comments” directed at him during his time at the corporation.
“We have worked hard to change the culture for the better across management and the wider team,” Horton wrote, referring to internal changes implemented as a result of a BBC-led review.
Murley expressed his appreciation for the apology and praised the colleagues who testified on his behalf.
“At a time when I was producing an award-winning LGBTQ+ show for the BBC, I was being subjected to homophobic and bigoted behaviours that would have been unacceptable decades ago — let alone in a modern workplace.”
He added:
“I’m glad the BBC has finally admitted that people in positions of power created and sustained an environment in which my abuse was explicitly and implicitly tolerated.”
Tribunal Outcome vs Internal Findings
Murley was dismissed in 2024 after posting criticisms on social media about local radio cutbacks. The BBC said his comments breached editorial and impartiality policies.
Murley filed a complaint with the employment tribunal, alleging that he was discriminated against both for being a gay man and for his work as a National Union of Journalists (NUJ) representative.
However, Employment Judge Alastair Smail ruled that Murley’s dismissal was not due to discrimination and that the BBC acted within reason. Despite this legal outcome, a separate internal BBC investigation reportedly found that Murley had indeed been subjected to homophobic treatment and that managerial failings had occurred in how his complaints were handled.
“No victim should have to work this hard”
In a social media post following the apology, Murley wrote:
“I can’t begin to tell you how much it has taken to reach this stage, and no victim of abuse should ever have to work this hard to have what they went through acknowledged.”
He credited the outcome to a collective effort from the NUJ, his legal team, and both current and former MPs Ben Maguire and Scott Mann, among others.
“It took a whole host of people to move the BBC from flat denial to formal apology. I was telling the truth all along.”
BBC Responds
In a statement, the BBC reiterated its commitment to workplace standards:
“While we don’t comment on individual cases, we take any reports of our workplace values not being upheld extremely seriously. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.”
