BBC news anchor Martine Croxall has found herself at the center of controversy after the broadcaster declared she violated its guidelines. The incident arose when Croxall made a facial expression in response to the term “pregnant people” in her script, a moment that did not go unnoticed.

The seasoned journalist inadvertently sparked a wave of support, including from notable author JK Rowling, following her on-air dismissal of gender-neutral phrasing. However, the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit has since concluded that her reaction conveyed a ‘controversial view about trans people.’

The ECU’s investigation, prompted by twenty viewer complaints, determined that Croxall’s actions did not align with the BBC’s standards of impartiality expected from its presenters and journalists. This ruling underscores the broadcaster’s commitment to maintaining neutrality, particularly on sensitive topics.

The incident occurred during Croxall’s introduction of research about anticipated heat-related deaths amid the UK’s current heatwave. As she read from the autocue, she initially used the term “pregnant people” as instructed. However, she then expressed a smirk and raised an eyebrow, choosing to override the gender-neutral terminology.

Ms Croxall was introducing new research on the number of heat-related deaths expected amid Britain’s current heatwave. 

But as the autocue prompted her to warn ‘pregnant people’ to take care in the heat, she first read the term out before overriding it, with a smirk and eyebrow raise.  

She said: ‘Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, said the aged, pregnant people – women! – and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.’ 

Her correction of the autocue won her praise from the Harry Potter author, who called Ms Croxall her ‘new favourite BBC presenter’.

Martine Croxall (pictured) is one of the main presenters of BBC News, having started work for the broadcaster more than 30 years ago, in 1991, and for its news programme in 2001

She posted a picture of herself this morning on the social media platform, smiling into the camera with her colleague Sally Bundock sitting behind the newsdesk as the duo prepared to go live on air

JK Rowling’s approval coincided with Ms Croxall’s following on X jumping from 56,000 to 127,000 – and doubled in the first 24 hours after she changed her BBC script.

Ms Croxall thanked JK Rowling and her other supporters following the extraordinary TV moment.

‘A huge thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow me today for whatever reason. It’s been quite a ride,’ the married mother-of-two wrote.

She posted a picture of herself this morning on the social media platform, smiling into the camera with her colleague Sally Bundock sitting behind the newsdesk as the duo prepared to go live on air. 

BBC bosses had backed Ms Croxall, saying her reaction was ‘to scripting which somewhat clumsily incorporated phrases from the press release accompanying the research, including “aged”, which is not BBC style, and “pregnant people”, which did not match what Dr Mistry said in the clip which followed’.

However, the ECU said: ‘Even accepting this explanation, however, the ECU considered the facial expression which accompanied the change of “people” to “women” laid it open to the interpretation that it indicated a particular viewpoint in the controversies currently surrounding trans identity, and the congratulatory messages Ms Croxall later received on social media, together with the critical views expressed in the complaints to the BBC and elsewhere, tended to confirm that the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of opinion on the issue.’ 

Ms Croxall’s message for supporters after after she was praised for rejecting woke gender-neutral language live on air

Ms Rowling reposted the clip on X, captioning it: ‘I have a new favourite BBC presenter’

The ECU said its finding had been reported to BBC management and discussed with Ms Croxall and the editorial team.  

Ms Croxall has supported women on TV before – and behind the scenes also stood up with female colleagues in their fight for equal pay at the corporation. 

Famously she also got tough with a transgender wannabe politician who said she felt attacked when Ms Croxall questioned her claim that the Supreme Court’s April ruling that trans women are legally male and trans men are legally female might need further ‘clarification’.

There have also been lighter moments, including when she winked and joked that she was a ‘beautiful creature’ and also the times she was wasn’t in her seat as cameras began rolling. 

She also appeared tearful when she announced the death of Prince Philip in 2021.  

In April the broadcaster was praised when she challenged a transgender activist who claimed the Supreme Court’s ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex may still need ‘clarification’.

The BBC veteran firmly told ex-Labour MSP candidate Heather Herbert that the landmark ruling made it clear ‘sex is binary and immutable’.

Leicestershire-born Ms Croxall repeatedly challenged Herbert after she called for further ‘clarification’ on single sex spaces, at one point reminding her: ‘The ruling is that woman means biological sex.’

She spearheaded a legal case against the BBC over pay, with the corporation settling Ms Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh launched an employment tribunal against the BBC in a bombshell case, which included the claim they had not been paid equally compared with their male counterparts.

Martine Croxall, arriving at the Central London Employment Tribunal, before the case over pay was settled by the BBC

All four claimed they lost their roles on the BBC News Channel following a ‘rigged’ recruitment exercise when it was merged with BBC World. The case was settled by the BBC in the spring of this year.

The row meant the women were all off for 12 months, which Ms Croxall chronicled on social media. Instead of being in the studio she enjoyed trips to Mexico, Bulgaria and Thailand.

During her time off, she went swimming with whale sharks and sea lions in the Gulf of California, zipwired over a canyon in Mexico and fed elephants at a sanctuary in Phuket.

That’s on top of taking a hot balloon over the pyramids in Mexico and venturing on two ski trips, including one where she was seen relaxing in a massive hot tub after spending a day on the slopes. 

Croxall joined the corporation in 1991 following work experience with her local station, BBC Radio Leicester. 

She grew up in the countryside, attending an independent school before graduating from the University of Leeds. 

In 2022, she was briefly taken off air after breaking the corporation’s impartiality rules.