Why Was Martine Croxall Taken Off Air?

Martine Sarah Croxall FRGS is a British television journalist. She is one of the main news presenters on BBC News. Croxall began with the BBC work experience at BBC Radio Leicester in 1991.

On 21 May 2021, Croxall presented Dateline London for the first time. Since 2017 Croxall has presented BBC Weekend News lunchtime edition.

On 19 June 2021 Croxall presented BBC Weekend News evening and late bulletins for the first time. On 1 September 2021, Croxall presented BBC News at One for the first time.

She is a regular news presenter on BBC News between 18:30 and midnight, alternate Thursdays, Fridays–Sundays. She occasionally hosts Afternoon Live on BBC News and has presented on both BBC World News and World News Today.

In March 2022, Croxall won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind; her specialist subject was American investigative journalist Nellie Bly.

Why Was Martine Croxall Taken Off Air?

A BBC News presenter has been taken off air over a “potential breach of impartiality” after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Conservative leadership race.

Martine Croxall said she was “gleeful” during her introduction to Sunday evening’s edition of The Papers, in which experts discuss the main news stories of the day.

The programme began at 10.30 pm, about 90 minutes after Johnson announced he would not stand in the contest. Croxall said: “Well this is all very exciting, isn’t it?” adding: “Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well, I am.”

The comment attracted criticism on social media, including from Tory MPs such as the former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who said it showed bias.

Croxall asked one of the programme’s guests: “Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No, they haven’t arrived.

“It’s all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn’t it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.”

The host acknowledged she may have breached the public broadcaster’s guidelines when she laughed at a guest’s comment mocking the former prime minister.

“I shouldn’t probably [laugh],” she said. “I’m probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.”