Latest news with #AnitaRani
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BBC Woman's Hour presenter Anita Rani accused of being 'biased and bigoted' by gender rights campaigner
BBC Woman's Hour presenter Anita Rani has been accused of being 'biased and bigoted' by a gender rights campaigner. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters - a women's rights group - said her views were 'misrepresented' on the show by Rani. She made a formal complaint to the BBC, claiming the presenter should never have been allowed to present interviews with individuals on both sides of the transgender debate, because she had in the past shown 'extreme and unacceptable bias' on the issue, The Telegraph first reported. Woman's Hour had discussed the debate with figures on both sides after April's Supreme Court ruling that trans women are not legally women. The ruling also decided the word 'sex' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex and not gender identity, sparking mass debate across the world. Ms Joyce featured on Woman's Hour last week, before chief executive of Amnesty International UK, Sacha Deshmukh, appeared on the show two days later. In her complaint, Ms Joyce condemned the 'choice to use a demonstrably biased and bigoted presenter, Anita Rani, for that interview, thereby giving her and the interviewee the chance to misrepresent me'. She added that the presenter had 'previously publicly demonstrated bias and prejudice towards the gender-critical viewpoint'. 'In particular, she shouldn't have been allowed to interview Sacha Deshmukh because it was obvious she would give him an easy ride for ideological reasons,' she said. Gender rights campaigner Ms Joyce quoted a tweet Ms Rani had penned four years ago in the wake of criticism of Woman's Hour for featuring Paris Lees, a trans author, to discuss the book What It Feels Like For A Girl. Ms Rani posted: 'I'm disgusted by the levels of transphobia on here. Woman's Hour is a space to discuss everything about LGBTQ+ issues. 'Listening to people's stories helps us understand something and hopefully empathise. Ditch the hate.' In response, Ms Joyce claimed the tweet exposed Ms Rani's 'extreme and unacceptable bias'. Ms Joyce claimed the presenter misrepresented her point of view in a question to Mr Deshmuck, enabling him to make out she did not understand the Supreme Court ruling. 'Anita asked Sacha misleading questions which muddled up my explanation of the judgment,' she wrote. A spokesman for the BBC said: 'The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit will respond to this complaint directly, in accordance with our usual complaints procedure. Woman's Hour has given an on air clarification, stating that when Helen Joyce from the campaign group Sex Matters was quoted in the interview with Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, her comment referred to the Equality Act and not to the issue of sex and gender in wider society or any other legislation. 'Both interviews were part of a series broadcast by Woman's Hour over the past two weeks, which reflect a wide range of perspectives on the Supreme Court ruling.'
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Saturday Kitchen unexpectedly paused as Matt Tebbutt makes exciting pregnancy announcement about co-star
SATURDAY Kitchen was unexpectedly paused by host Matt Tebbutt as he made an exciting pregnancy announcement this morning. The hit show was halted on Saturday, May 24 when an announcement was made to viewers by main man Matt. 5 5 5 5 Matt, 51, revealed that television co-star and fellow chef Sophie Wyburd, 31, is expecting a baby. Matt, who was joined by Anita Rani and chefs Scott Hollsworth and Sophie, halted the show when he made the announcement. He said: "Er Sophie, first of all, congratulations. "Sophie's pregnant!" The studio then erupted into applause, with overjoyed faces seen all around. Matt then spoke of Sophie's bump, saying: "You can just about see it." Sophie smiled and said: "Just about!" The chef was then asked if she had felt the baby kick yet and said: "First little punch yesterday, so I'll see if they'll send you a punch later." Sophie, who is a chef, often appears on the show to showcase her simple recipes. The London-based chef announced her pregnancy news on Instagram before today's show. Saturday Kitchen in chaos as Ben Miller runs on to set late shouting 'awkward' and reveals he slept through alarm She shared a snap four days ago as she posed on a mountain top, surrounded by trees and greenery. Wearing some black cycling shorts and a grey t-shirt, Sophie beamed and grinned as she cradled her blossoming bump. In the caption she penned: "Sausage Pasta Wyburd-Kumar, growing steadily in my tummy and landing with us this autumn!!" Sophie continued: "P.S. writing recipes for a living when for 3 months all you want to eat is spinach and ricotta tortellini is no joke, but the little person in there will be very much worth it I'm sure." Fans and friends were quick to flood Sophie with sweet messages in the comments section. Fellow chef Alfie Steiner said: "Oh em geeee contractions !!!! They are going to be eating THE best food." "The best news!!! Congratulations lovely," said an influencer. While a fourth said: "Congratulations - this baby is gonna get the best weaning." And a fifth wrote: "Cuteeeestttt bump." 5
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt pauses show to make exciting announcement about chef Sophie Wyburd
Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt paused the show on Saturday, May 24 to make an exciting announcement. Chef Sophie Wyburd, 31, a favourite among culinary TV fans, is expecting a baby. Matt, 51, who was joined by guest Anita Rani and chefs Scott Hollsworth and Sophie, said: 'Er Sophie, first of all, congratulations, Sophie's pregnant!' The BBC studio then erupted into applause before Matt added of her baby bump: 'You can just about see it.' Sophie smiled in response to the observation and simply said: 'Just about!' She was then asked if she had felt the baby kick yet and said: 'First little punch yesterday, so I'll see if they'll send you a punch later.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The happy news came during an episode where Helen McGinn gave fans drinks tips and Jordan Bailey discussed the humble yet brilliant burger. Chef Sophie, who hails from London, is popular for her simple recipes on the show and online. She already announced her news on Instagram with an appropriate culinary twist. She wrote: 'Sausage Pasta Wyburd-Kumar, growing steadily in my tummy and landing with us this autumn!!' The chef added: 'P.S. writing recipes for a living when for 3 months all you want to eat is spinach and ricotta tortellini is no joke, but the little person in there will be very much worth it I'm sure.' Sophie has also shared some of her more unusual first trimester pregnancy cravings on social media including marmite and 'frozen beige potato products'. Fans were quick to offer their congratulations on social media too. Fellow chef Alfie Steiner joked: 'Oh em geeee contractions !!!! They are going to be eating THE best food.' [sic] This comes after host Matt told The Staff Canteen podcast that he thought Saturday Kitchen would come to an end at some point. Matt revealed he would eventually have to find something else to take on, possibly back working in kitchens, prompting rumours that he could replace Greg Wallace on Masterchef. 'It's going to stop at some point,' he said. 'I'm going to have to do something.' A source told The Sun: 'Matt rose to the challenge of coming into Saturday Kitchen after it was previously hosted by another big name in the world of food, James Martin. 'He managed the feat of making it his own and almost making viewers forget who his predecessor was. 'Now Beeb bosses, and the show producers Banijay, will be hoping he can work the same magic on MasterChef.'
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
BBC faces complaint over ‘biased and bigoted' Woman's Hour presenter
A feminist campaigner has made a formal complaint to the BBC over a 'biased and bigoted' Woman's Hour presenter. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at the women's rights group Sex Matters, said her views had been 'misrepresented' on the programme by Anita Rani. She said Rani should not have been allowed to present a series of interviews with figures on both sides of the transgender debate, because she had previously shown 'extreme and unacceptable bias' on the issue. BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour spoke to figures on both sides of the debate in the wake of April's Supreme Court decision that trans women are not legally women and the word 'sex' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex and not gender identity. The Equality and Human Rights Commission then put out interim guidance to organisations to underline that in places such as hospitals, shops and restaurants, 'trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities'. A growing number of public bodies have changed their guidance in light of the judgment. The Football Association, for example, has said trans women could be banned from women's sport. But other organisations, including the Houses of Parliament, have said they are awaiting final guidance from the EHRC. Ms Joyce appeared on Woman's Hour last week, and her appearance was followed two days later by Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK. In her letter of complaint to the BBC, she criticised the 'choice to use a demonstrably biased and bigoted presenter, Anita Rani, for that interview, thereby giving her and the interviewee the chance to misrepresent me'. Ms Joyce said Rani had 'previously publicly demonstrated bias and prejudice towards the gender-critical viewpoint' and should never have been allowed to take part in the series of interviews because 'she is demonstrably not neutral'. 'In particular, she shouldn't have been allowed to interview Sacha Deshmukh because it was obvious she would give him an easy ride for ideological reasons,' she said. She quoted a tweet Ms Rani had written in 2021 in response to widespread criticism of Woman's Hour for inviting Paris Lees, a trans author who identifies as a woman, to talk about the book What It Feels Like For A Girl. Ms Rani had tweeted: 'I'm disgusted by the levels of transphobia on here. Woman's Hour is a space to discuss everything about LGBTQ+ issues. 'Listening to people's stories helps us understand something and hopefully empathise. Ditch the hate.' Ms Joyce said the tweet revealed 'extreme and unacceptable bias, indeed prejudice'. She said Lees' book was as 'offensive' as if Rachel Dolezal, the US white activist castigated for identifying as black, had written a book called What It Feels Like For A Black Person. 'And if you can't understand the justified criticisms of Woman's Hour for inviting Lees on, imagine the response if a show dedicated to issues that affect black people had invited Dolezal on to tell them what it's like to be black,' she said. 'Guests on BBC shows deserve better than to have demonstrably biased presenters twist what they say to give guests with opposing viewpoints the opportunity to make false statements about them without challenge.' Ms Joyce said Rani misrepresented her viewpoint in a question to Mr Deshmuck, allowing him to claim she did not understand the Supreme Court judgment. She wrote: 'Anita asked Sacha misleading questions which muddled up my explanation of the judgment and my advocacy for the gender-critical view, which enabled Sacha to claim – falsely – that I had misrepresented the judgment.' Ms Joyce said that she never claimed that the Supreme Court judgment confirmed that 'trans women are men', as that is not what the judges were asked to rule on. She said that in the interview she had made two points. One was to explain that the Supreme Court ruled that in the Equality Act, the word 'sex' refers to biological sex, not sex as modified by a gender-recognition certificate. The other was to make the gender-critical case more broadly. Ms Joyce said she was unhappy that when Rani interviewed Mr Deshmukh, she asked him: 'We had Helen Joyce from the organisation Sex Matters on the programme this week, and she said, 'Trans women are men. That's what the Supreme Court confirmed'. What's your response to that?' He replied that this was 'not an accurate representation of what the judgment said' because it 'made very, very clear that it was not saying that what was being litigated was the meaning of gender in wider society'. Mr Deshmukh later said: 'I think that for someone to say that the judgment and what it said about that specific word in the Act has that implication more broadly, may be their point of view of what they would like, but actually inaccurate representation of the judgment.' Ms Joyce asked for the programme to apologise. However, she has now accused them of broadcasting an inaccurate clarification 'that gave the false impression that I had been 'unclear' in what I said and had asked for my viewpoint to be clarified'. 'Not only did I not ask for that – I asked for a correction to the false claims that were made by Anita and Sacha – but I specifically said I DIDN'T want such a 'clarification', because it would make things worse,' she wrote. A spokesman for the BBC said: 'The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit will respond to this complaint directly, in accordance with our usual complaints procedure. Woman's Hour has given an on air clarification, stating that when Helen Joyce from the campaign group Sex Matters was quoted in the interview with Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, her comment referred to the Equality Act and not to the issue of sex and gender in wider society or any other legislation. 'Both interviews were part of a series broadcast by Woman's Hour over the past two weeks, which reflect a wide range of perspectives on the Supreme Court ruling.'
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Remember what it's like to fall in love – with a book, a song or a band'
Anita Rani's new podcast, Bright Ideas with Anita Rani, is all about uncovering different ways to live your best life, and this week's guest, Alexander Armstrong, is brimming with ideas. The host of Pointless, half of comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, musician and author shares his top tips for learning another language – he's currently using Duolingo to brush up on his French – why he's so passionate about children's reading and how to introduce someone when you can't remember their name. 'If you're lucky enough to fall in love with reading when you're seven or eight, you carry this great world full of colour and flavour around in your head,' he tells Rani as they discuss the Read It Forward initiative, which works to provide life-changing books and literacy education to children who need it most. Armstrong is also a fervent music-lover, having grown up as a chorister, and is using his show on Classic FM to spread the joy of classical music. He shares his advice for getting out of creative ruts: 'You've got to be on the balls of your feet. Remember what it's like falling in love – with a book or a piece of music or a band. All those times you did that, you were doing it because you were out there, ready to be receptive to new ideas.' Listen to the full episode – where the pair cover nicknames, why high altitude makes you cry and the importance of the right kind of tea – to get all of Alexander Armstrong's bright ideas for how every day can be a little happier. For more tips, life hacks, insights and stories, listen to Bright Ideas with Anita Rani on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.
