BBC News presenter shares return to screen date after launching legal action against broadcaster

BBC News presenter Martine Croxall appears to be returning to screens (Picture: BBC News)

BBC presenter Martine Croxall has seemingly confirmed her return to screens after taking legal action against the broadcaster.

She has been off air for over a year alongside four other female broadcasters and is taking the BBC to an employment tribunal which is scheduled to take place on May 1 in London.

The newsreader gave her final bulletin on March 31, 2023, saying it had been ‘the greatest privilege’ to have broadcasted on the BBC News channel ahead of its merge with BBC World News in a bid to cut costs.

Croxall joined the BBC in 1991.

However, the 55-year-old posted a picture of herself back in the BBC News studio on Friday and confirmed the planned date for her return to screens.

Taking to X, she shared a photo of herself smiling in a black top, with the instantly recognisable studio backdrop behind her.

Croxall, 55, has been off air since March 2023, subsequently launching legal action (Picture: BBC)

The TV personality was back in the studio on Friday (Picture: BBC News)

‘Piloting in my happy place, Studio E,’ she added in the now-deleted tweet, according to The Sun.

However, despite Croxall later scrubbing the picture from her social media account, her replies to followers, explaining what she was doing, remain.

‘Wow are you back?’ asked @b_woolnough, to which Croxall responded: ‘Piloting off air.’

‘Just retuned NewsHD to celebrate with you Martine, but you’re not there!’ tweeted Tony Haylor.

She shared a now-deleted snap, confirming her return (Picture: X/@MartineBBC)

‘Was piloting,’ she explained, giving another similar answer to @weatherbeatz with ‘rehearsing/piloting’.

It appears she is gearing up for an official return to the channel though as, although she responded ‘slowly slowly’ when someone asked if she was ‘finally back’, she gave a more definitive answer elsewhere.

‘Please let us know when your first show back is,’ requested follower Andy Zerfahs, to which Croxall replied: ‘Should be May 22.’

Croxall also explained what she was doing (Picture: X)

She’s not quite back on screens yet (Picture: X)

However, she shared a date for her comeback (Picture: X)

It’s unclear if this development has affected the tribunal, which is likely to be one of the most high-profile the BBC has faced in recent years.

The corporation previously lost a case in 2020 with Newswatch host Samira Ahmed over gender pay.

The details of Croxall’s case are yet to be made public.

Croxall was one of five senior female journalists alongside Karin Giannone, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Kasia Madera, and Annita McVeigh who was not promoted to a chief presenter role after the international and domestic news channels merged last year.

McVeigh and Guru-Murthy have returned to the news in recent weeks after chief presenter vacancies became available.

It is estimated that the BBC has spent £1million ($1.3m) while the women have been off air, paying their salaries and cover, reports Deadline.

During a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing BBC Director General Tim Davie was questioned on the situation and said they were working on a ‘fair resolution’ for the women.

‘It is not a good situation where you are paying people [who are not on air] and we are trying to get it resolved as fast as possible. I recognise that it has been going on for some time,’ he said.

BBC Director General Tim Davie has agreed it’s ‘not a good situation’ (Picture: PA)

Last year it was reported that the sidelined presenters had all been asked to re-apply for their jobs in order to win a slot on the BBC. It is understood that they were then asked to do so for a second time.

A BBC staffer told Deadline that the fact they were being made to go through this process was ‘being viewed by many of us in the newsroom with disbelief when their skills and abilities are well known’.

They added the presenters, who have more than 100 years of experience at the BBC between them, were ‘urgently needed back on air’.

The publication claims that it’s been alleged the BBC’s process was predetermined and a list of chief presenters was chosen before applications were opened. It is said the argument did not convince a senior HR executive.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC and Martine Croxall for comment.

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