Former Countryfile presenter likely to receive payout in the low six figures after winning age discrimination case

Former Countryfile presenter Miriam O'Reilly said today after winning her age discrimination case against the BBC that "standing up" to the corporation was "the right thing to do".

O'Reilly, 53, added that the BBC was "one of the best broadcasting organisations in the world", but had treated her badly due to her age. "It wasn't about the money. I just wanted my career back," she said, warning that the TV industry still has "a long way" to go in eliminating ageism.

O'Reilly won an employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of age discrimination and victimisation, after she was dropped from BBC1's Countryfile show along with three other female presenters. A third charge of sex discrimination was not upheld.

Today's verdict gives O'Reilly the opportunity to claim damages including loss of earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages. But her legal team said she would not be pursuing aggravated damages against the corporation.

This means the total damages which the BBC will pay out are likely to be in the low six figures. O'Reilly has earned just £500 in the past year and has not worked for Countryfile since its relaunch in April 2009.

"I swore I wasn't going to cry but I feel overwhelmed by this victory. It's been a long time coming. I've been fighting for 14 months to get justice," O'Reilly said, speaking at a press conference in London after the tribunal judgment was published.

"It was hard to take on the BBC because I love the BBC. It's one of best broadcasting organisations in the world, but I felt I was treated badly because of age and standing up was the right thing to do," she added.

The industry still has "a long way to go" in eliminating ageism from the hiring and firing of on-screen talent, O'Reilly said, adding that the ruling would give women more protection.

"I took this action because I wanted to work for the BBC. I'm really impressed that they have apologised. However, we have a long way to go with ageism in visual media – not just the BBC, the whole industry," she said.

"We are seeing changes, but we're not seeing enough and not fast enough, but I hope that it will. I hope this case will help that happen a lot quicker."

O'Reilly's lawyer, Camilla Palmer, a discrimination expert at Leigh Day & Co, said she had won a great victory today not only for herself but all older people in the media.

"This has huge implications for all broadcasters not just the BBC. The lesson is that presenters should be selected for their ability not their age," Palmer added. "Women and men on screen should not be hired or fired on the basis of their age."

Dawn Airey, the former senior Channel 5, ITV and BSkyB executive who is an honorary member of campaigning organisation Women in Film & Television, said the issues of age and sex discrimination were still "very live" for all broadcasters.

"This is a landmark ruling if the BBC changes some of its practices," Airey told the Guardian. "The BBC response has been really quite measured and fair, and that's the real good to have come out of it.

"It will be interesting to see how the BBC and the whole industry reacts to this. It's a very live issue for all broadcasters. It's a question of reflecting diversity on-screen and if you don't reflect that then you're out of touch with viewers."

Airey, 50, said TV producers and editors now have a "very hard balance to pull off" in recruiting and retiring on-screen talent. "[Presenters] always need to be given a valid explanation as to why [they're] moving on. But what's interesting from this case is that now you can't make that decision on the basis of age. It's a judgment call."

In light of the tribunal's ruling, the BBC said it would give additional training to senior editorial executives and issue new guidance on the fair selection of presenters. The findings "raise questions that need to be addressed by the whole industry", the corporation said in a statement.

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