EXCLUSIVE: Before her tenure at the BBC, a board member openly criticized Donald Trump on social media, labeling him a “howling idiot.”
Muriel Gray, who previously hosted Channel 4’s iconic 1980s program The Tube, frequently expressed her disapproval of the former U.S. president on X/Twitter during the five years leading up to her BBC board appointment in January 2022.
Gray’s historical remarks have drawn attention amid scrutiny of the BBC board’s handling of an erroneous edit of Trump’s January 6 speech, which resulted in the unexpected resignations of both Tim Davie, the director general, and Deborah Turness, the head of news.
Shortly after Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, Gray posted: “Is anyone noticing the beautiful silence of daily Trump horror stories now that he has been reduced to just a howling idiot yelling into the void? It feels like the relief of a ceased toothache.”
RELATED: Producer Behind BBC’s Donald Trump Film Was Kept In Dark About Editing Error
Throughout Trump’s first term, she also branded him as “useless” and mockingly referred to Melania Trump as resembling a “super villain” in 2019.
In a June 2020 entry, Gray criticized the MAGA movement, saying: “Considering the nuances and complexities of civil wars throughout history, Trump has managed something unique. He seems to have sparked a war of woefully ignorant MAGA Americans against the rest of their own country.”
RELATED: Donald Trump’s BBC Lawsuit: Exploring The President’s $1B Threat To The Crown Jewel Of British Broadcasting
Ahead of the 2016 election, she commented: “If you look in a mirror on a full moon and chant ‘Trump is a presidential candidate’ three times, nothing changes. The world remains crazy.”
The political orientation of the BBC board has recently come under fire. Insiders at the BBC, TV union Bectu, and politicians—including Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey—have demanded the removal of another board member, Robbie Gibb, amid accusations of orchestrating a conservative takeover at the corporation. Allies of Gibb, a former communications secretary to Theresa May, have refuted these claims.
Gray’s past political remarks suggest that diverse views exist within the BBC board. BBC chair Samir Shah hinted at this in a recent staff address, stating that the board members are not prone to “groupthink.”
RELATED: BBC Insiders Claim Trump Crisis Has Been A Conservative Coup, But Is This Credible?
The board was informed in October about the controversial edit in the Panorama episode on Trump, which misleadingly combined parts of his Capitol speech to imply he was inciting violence. This issue was highlighted in a memo by Michael Prescott, a former advisor to the BBC’s editorial standards committee, and was leaked to The Daily Telegraph last week.
Board discussions led to delays in addressing the Trump controversy. Shah apologized for the Panorama edit earlier this week and reiterated his apology in a personal letter to the White House on Thursday following a $1B lawsuit threat from the U.S. president.
Despite her critical social media comments, sources indicate that Gray raised concerns about the Trump edit and other issues mentioned in Prescott’s memo, reportedly playing a significant role in recent board discussions.
Just last month, Gray’s term on the BBC board was extended to January 2030. She is one of the five non-executive directors chosen by the board’s nominations committee, which includes her, giving her influence over new board appointments.
BBC insiders have suggested that the board’s lack of editorial experience might have contributed to the indecision regarding Prescott’s memo. The absence of Charlotte Moore from the board, following her resignation as chief content officer over the summer, has reportedly not been beneficial for the BBC. While a board position opened in August, Moore’s successor Kate Phillips has not been promoted. With the resignation of news chief Turness, only half of the executive slots on the board are currently filled.
Gibb, a political appointee installed by Boris Johnson’s government in 2021, is among five politically appointed members (including the chair). Today, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, mentioned on Radio 4’s Today program that the Labour government is reconsidering political appointments to the board as part of the upcoming BBC charter renewal, citing concerns over the impact on public trust and impartiality in the BBC.
Gray, who earns £33,000 ($43,000) from the BBC, has hosted various British TV shows, including Channel 4’s The Media Show, and managed production company Gallus Besom. She has also chaired The Glasgow School of Art and served as a trustee of the British Museum.
Gray did not respond to a request for comment. A BBC spokesperson stated: “The board oversees the BBC’s mission and public purposes, and members must adhere to the BBC board’s code of practice, act in good faith, and in the public interest. The terms on which board members serve, as well as their duties, functions, and structure, are outlined in the BBC’s royal charter.”
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
