BBC gets hit with 100 complaints over trans radio guest’s remarks about JK Rowling

The BBC has been hit with more than 100 complaints after it let a trans radio guest accuse JK Rowling of transphobia without being properly challenged.

Evan Davis was hosting Thursday’s PM show when Stacey Henley made the claims while discussing a new Harry Potter video game, Hogwarts Legacy.

Ms Henley, a trans woman and editor-in-chief of The Gamer – a website for video game fans – accused the author of pushing ‘transphobia’ and a ‘campaign against trans people’.

Yesterday the corporation posted a statement on its website in response to the row, following criticism about the remarks on an episode of Radio 4’s PM last week.

The BBC admitted: ‘We do accept that there wasn’t sufficient challenge to the claims that were made and that we fell short here.’

Over 100 complaints have flooded in following Thursday’s PM show discussing JK Rowling

In the interview, Davis had said: ‘Obviously, JK Rowling… wouldn’t say she’s transphobic.’

But a women’s group said the piece had been ‘skewed’ and that Davis had made only ‘perfunctory efforts’ to intervene.

The BBC’s statement said: ‘This is a difficult and contentious area which we do try very hard to cover fairly and well on the BBC.

‘However we should have challenged Stacey Henley more directly on her claims and apologise that we did not.’

The author was slammed during a discussion on the radio about the Hogwarts Legacy game

Evan Davis (pictured) was hosting Thursday’s PM show when Stacey Henley accused JK Rowling of pushing ‘transphobia’ and a ‘campaign against trans people’

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