Angela Rippon, 81, says she was told to quit television by BBC boss at the age of 50 ‘to make way for the younger women coming up behind you’

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Angela Rippon has shared that a former BBC manager suggested she leave television when she turned 50, with the implication that it was to create opportunities for younger female presenters.

The popular TV personality, who is now 81 years old, says the BBC’s former head, John Birt, told her it was time to retire so younger women could take her place.

Angela explained that she named her male colleagues – like Terry Wogan and Michael Parkinson – to demonstrate to Mr. Birt that his comment was sexist.

The celebrity, known from the show Strictly, shared that when she turned 50, she faced a difficult situation at work. A manager removed her from some projects she was involved in, causing a problem.

According to the show’s producers, he didn’t think I came across well on television, and that’s why he decided to remove me from the program.

Angela explained on the White Wine Question Time podcast that she’d lost two important shows she was hosting. Knowing the Director-General, John Birt, even just a little, she went to him for help, asking what he could do to resolve the situation.

He admitted he couldn’t help, and told Angela she needed to recognize that her time had passed and it was time to let younger women take over.

Angela recalled asking the person she was talking to – Kate Thornton – if he was telling the same story to older, established broadcasters like Terry Wogan or Michael Parkinson. It turned out he wasn’t.

That comment was deeply sexist, and it proved to be completely wrong. I’m still thriving at 81 years old.

Angela became well-known in the 1970s and has hosted popular shows like Top Gear, Antiques Roadshow, and the Nine O’Clock News. However, she has recently criticized television executives for what she sees as an excessive focus on social and political issues.

On GB News, she explained that the key difference now is the sheer number of television channels available.

The sheer number of TV channels demonstrates the huge range of programs now available.

It’s gotten to be so many channels now, hasn’t it? It makes you remember the 1970s, when we only had a few options – just one, then two, maybe three, four, or five channels to choose from.

Angela continued: ‘It used to be a watercooler moment.

People used to call television ‘the telly,’ like when they’d ask, ‘Did you see that on the telly last night?’ And honestly, I don’t think television was really any different back then.

‘It was just that everybody watched the same programmes.

What’s changed recently is that many people feel there’s an overabundance of shows pushing overly progressive or politically correct ideas – it’s a trend that’s become really noticeable.

If you watch old shows from the 70s on nostalgia channels – programs like Fawlty Towers, for example – you’ll remember how great they were.

We used to find a lot of things funny, but many of those jokes wouldn’t be considered acceptable for television today.

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2026-04-10 03:50