https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/12/tv-no-career-for-a-woman-rts-debate/ Wed, 17 Oct 2018 10:02:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/12/tv-no-career-for-a-woman-rts-debate/#comment-65 Amy Walker Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:39:05 +0000 https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/?p=416#comment-65 Congratulations on your ruling today Miriam, how do you feel about it? Congratulations on your ruling today Miriam, how do you feel about it?

]]> https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/12/tv-no-career-for-a-woman-rts-debate/#comment-28 Miriam O'Reilly Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:18:41 +0000 https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/?p=416#comment-28 I've just come across the RTS debate: TV - No Career for a Woman - and felt the comments by Fiona Phillips in particular needed a response. She "finds it cringeworthy" to think about my ageist/sexist claim against the BBC, but at the same time "laments" that there are not more older women on screen and asks why by contrast there are so many "wrinkly old blokes" instead. Did she really think this comment through before she made it. If I didn't take a legal stand when I and the three other middle-aged women were dropped from Countryfile then nothing would change and we would continue to lose older women from our screens when older men are allowed to stay. If Ms Phillips and the other panelists had bothered to look into the detail of my case then I believe they wouldn't be so dismissive of my claim. What happened to me was "cringeworthy". Of course none of the panelists would have seen our leaving party invitation which was put together by a young assistant producer. The heads of us four women were superimposed onto the bodies of four old age pensioners, with inviting line that the bar we were going to offered "OAP concessions on Thursday nights". At the time no-one thought this ill conceived or inappropriate, as it was widely believed to be the reason we were dropped. The BBC is worth more than this. Because of my stand, negative attitudes towards older women in TV will change. I’ve just come across the RTS debate: TV – No Career for a Woman – and felt the comments by Fiona Phillips in particular needed a response. She “finds it cringeworthy” to think about my ageist/sexist claim against the BBC, but at the same time “laments” that there are not more older women on screen and asks why by contrast there are so many “wrinkly old blokes” instead. Did she really think this comment through before she made it. If I didn’t take a legal stand when I and the three other middle-aged women were dropped from Countryfile then nothing would change and we would continue to lose older women from our screens when older men are allowed to stay. If Ms Phillips and the other panelists had bothered to look into the detail of my case then I believe they wouldn’t be so dismissive of my claim. What happened to me was “cringeworthy”. Of course none of the panelists would have seen our leaving party invitation which was put together by a young assistant producer. The heads of us four women were superimposed onto the bodies of four old age pensioners, with inviting line that the bar we were going to offered “OAP concessions on Thursday nights”. At the time no-one thought this ill conceived or inappropriate, as it was widely believed to be the reason we were dropped. The BBC is worth more than this. Because of my stand, negative attitudes towards older women in TV will change.

]]>