Kmflett's Blog

Beard Liberation Front

6^th September

Media Release

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Campaigners say new BBC boss Tim Davie must act on pogonophobia

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that new BBC Director General Tim Davie must act on the issue of pogonophobia- prejudice against the hirsute- at the national broadcaster.

When presenting Newsnight on BBC2 Jeremy Paxman in the autumn of 2013, wore a beard for several months before giving in to pressure to shave it off in early 2014, called out the BBC’s pogonophobia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25635272

However the number of hirsute newsreaders remains, at best, very limited, underlining that at senior levels at New Broadcasting House, there is still a view that people who wear beards are hiding something and cant be trusted. This is one of the oldest pogonophobic prejudices.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, while as far as we can check Tim Davie doesn’t appear to have ever had a beard his speech to BBC employees in Cardiff does indicate a willingness to make sure that the BBC is more inclusive of Britain in 2020 than it has been. That must mean not just what people say but how they appear as well.

Tim Davie’s Cardiff speech.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2020/tim-davie-intro-speech#:~:text=Speech%20by%20Tim%20Davie%2C%20Director,on%20Thursday%203%20September%202020.&text=Good%20afternoon%20everybody.,the%20very%20heart%20of%20Cardiff.