BBC presenter apologises after calling Eddie Izzard ‘the man'
A BBC radio presenter apologised for 'misgendering' Eddie Izzard on air – despite the comedian not caring about pronouns and gender labels.
Anita Anand said she was 'very very sorry' after referring to Izzard as 'the man' while presenting Radio 4's PM programme on Friday.
Yet Izzard, 63, who identifies as gender fluid and uses she/her pronouns, has previously confessed an indifference to such labels, telling The Telegraph last year: 'He, she – it doesn't matter.'
Izzard appeared on the afternoon news and current affairs programme to promote a new production of Hamlet, which is set to tour the UK with all 23 roles played by the comedian.
During the pre-recorded interview, Mrs Anand had asked Izzard to perform a snippet of the play for listeners, to which her guest politely refused. She revealed to listeners afterwards that Izzard's response had amused Charles Carroll, a newsreader for Radio 4.
Mrs Anand said: 'Just to let you know that Charles Carroll's belly laugh when I asked the man quite reasonably to do a bit, and he just went 'no', will be a thing I'll never forget.'
The programme continued for 25 minutes before Mrs Anand chose a brief pause between segments to apologise for calling Izzard 'the man'.
She said: 'Now a little earlier in the programme you might have heard me accidentally misgender Eddie Izzard. I'm very very sorry about that.'
The broadcaster's news style guide dictates that staff 'use the term and pronoun preferred by the person in question'.
The BBC was approached for comment.
A 'highly controversial area'
Last February, the BBC upheld a complaint against Justin Webb, the Today presenter, after he called trans women 'males' on the BBC Radio 4 programme in 2023.
A listener complained that the comment amounted to Mr Webb giving his personal view on a controversial matter in breach of the BBC's requirements on impartiality.
The BBC's editorial complaints unit agreed, saying it 'gave the impression of endorsing one viewpoint in a highly controversial area'.
Gender-critical activists criticised the ruling, claiming it showed the BBC had 'lost sight of its statutory duty to be impartial'.
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