A former BBC presenter whose once-prominent broadcasting career was overshadowed by a punishing £420,000 tax dispute has returned to the screen — this time fronting upbeat property videos for a local estate agency.
Christa Ackroyd, 69, was for years among the most recognisable figures in regional television, presenting the BBC’s flagship Look North programme and ranking as one of the corporation’s best-paid regional broadcasters.
Her BBC career came to an abrupt halt in 2013, when she was taken off air as questions emerged over her tax arrangements.
Ms Ackroyd later faced what she described as a “life-changing” bill after a court found that income tax and national insurance had been incorrectly paid for years on her £163,000-a-year salary.
More than a decade on, the former news anchor has reappeared in a different presenting role, guiding prospective buyers through homes in Yorkshire.
She is now hosting social media walkthroughs for Hunters estate agent in Otley, West Yorkshire, bringing the same composed on-camera style she once used to introduce the day’s top stories.
In one video, Ackroyd showcases a “prestigious” £1.35 million detached property in Addingham, West Yorkshire, describing the home as “full of surprises and quirky details”.
Addressing viewers in the clip, she says: “We are here to look at a house called Lantern.
Christa Ackroyd has taken up a new role guiding prospective buyers round homes for sale
Ms Ackroyd was taken off air in 2013 after questions were raised over her tax affairs
She had previously been one of the best-known faces in regional news and became one of the highest-paid anchors
‘And was there ever a more appropriate name for a house. As soon as you walk into Lantern you realise it’s light, bright and it’s built for socialising.
‘Old habits die hard – I’m heading straight for the bar area.’
Ms Ackroyd’s unlikely career pivot did not go unnoticed, with social media users noting the former presenter’s new role.
One linked it to the tax row that overshadowed her career, joking: ‘Make sure her wage is PAYE.’
Another asked if she would appear ‘on Homes Under the Hammer next?’, and a third joked of the somewhat cringy clips: ‘Alan Partridge called. He wants his script back.’
Others, however, praised Ms Ackroyd’s screen presence, calling her a ‘consummate professional’ and ‘such a natural’.
Ms Ackroyd told the Daily Mail that she had done two property videos on an ad hoc freelance basis.
She added: ‘I love houses and renovations and am very passionate about them so it seemed a perfect fit.
‘I would like to do more with other agents in the future – at 69 years old I am thrilled that people may still feel I have something to offer.’
Ms Ackroyd said her dispute with the BBC was now ‘water under the bridge’, adding: ‘I truly believe things happen for a reason.
‘Despite what happened, I remain a great supporter of public service broadcasting and the BBC, and wish to see them thrive.’
Lester Hurst, of Hunters Otley, said: ‘We have all watched Christa on television for many years. When we discovered her love of houses, we thought it’d be a good idea to do some videos of our most prestigious properties.
‘The response has been phenomenal.’
The mixed reaction to her videos is familiar territory for Ms Ackroyd, who had previously told of her anguish at being wrongly branded a ‘tax cheat’.
At the height of her fame, she was reportedly the BBC’s highest-paid regional TV star – earning more than the Prime Minister at the time.
She disappeared from screens in 2013 when the BBC announced it had terminated her contract over an alleged breach of contract.
It soon transpired that HMRC had launched a probe into Ms Ackroyd’s tax arrangements and the way in which she was paid by the corporation.
Ms Ackroyd had worked through her personal service company, Christa Ackroyd Media Ltd, between 2001 and 2013.
HMRC argued the loophole enabled the presenter to lower her tax bill by working for the BBC as a self-employed contractor rather than staff.
Ms Ackroyd lost the original case and later lost an appeal at the Upper Tribunal, leaving her facing a bill of up to £420,000.
The court ruling made clear that that HMRC ‘never suggested’ Ms Ackroyd was a tax cheat or that she had acted dishonestly.
Ms Ackroyd has repeatedly said she felt hung out to dry by the BBC and claimed the corporation told her that it would only engage her services if she used her own company.
Speaking on the Mrs Yorkshire podcast last year, Ms Ackroyd said: ‘I’d spent my entire career searching for the truth, and now my integrity was being questioned.’
She said the episode left her professionally ‘cancelled’ by clients, colleagues and even some friends.
The former presenter said she lost work, sold her home and spent heavily on legal and accountancy fees as she fought to clear her name.
‘I lost everything,’ she said. ‘It was one of the worst times in my life.’
Ms Ackroyd said she had been told by the BBC that she had to use Christa Ackroyd Media Ltd if she wanted to work for the broadcaster as a freelancer.
She said: ‘They had told me this was the way they engaged presenters.’
She added: ‘I couldn’t believe that as a freelancer, they [BBC] could somehow blame me when it was their contract.’
Ms Ackroyd said she could not understand why she was being blamed for the tax arrangements when the contracts had come from the BBC’s own legal department.
She said: ‘I can’t label it a tragedy because I’ve interviewed people who’ve experienced genuine tragedies, from survivors of the Hillsborough disaster to losing relatives in combat during the Afghanistan war and the victims of Peter Sutcliffe.’
Ms Ackroyd is now presenting social media property walkthroughs for Hunters estate agent in Otley, West Yorkshire
During the videos she uses the same polished delivery which was once a staple of the regional bulletins
Despite losing her tax case, Ms Ackroyd said she felt vindicated because the judgment made clear she had not been dishonest.
She said: ‘My mum died without knowing that a judge found me to be and I quote “honest” and “not a tax cheat”.
Since leaving the BBC, Ms Ackroyd has written for The Yorkshire Post, appeared in Netflix’s The Ripper documentary and featured on Yorkshire-themed television programmes.
Last year, it emerged she had been left £20,000 in the will of Coronation Street and EastEnders actress Kathryn Apanowicz, the former partner of Countdown legend Richard Whiteley.
