Jermaine Jenas has become the latest high-profile figure to be sacked by the BBC this week following complaints about his workplace conduct, with the former footballer reacting to the news whilst he was live on air with talkSPORT.
Jenas, 41, was officially sacked by the BBC on Thursday following what has so far been loosely described as inappropriate behaviour, with allegations pertaining to texts and other digital messages that were raised as a complaint.
The corporation was made aware of unsolicited communications a few weeks prior and it was only yesterday that the former footballer was removed from his roles on The One Show, Match of the Day and any other appearances for the network.
Reacting to the news whilst live on air for Hugh Woozencraft’s footballer transfers show, Jenas didn’t have much to say on the matter but you can hear a palpable tension in the air during the short impromptu radio segment.
As you can hear, while Jenas repeatedly insists he “can’t talk about it” as he is pressed on details surrounding the claims and the timeline of events, he does confess right from the off: “As you can probably see, I’m not happy about it.”
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Going on to state that he will “have to let the lawyers deal with it” and “there are two sides to every story, as we know”, the ex-Newcastle and Spurs star is clearly trying to wrap up his time on the show as soon as possible.
A BBC spokesperson also clarified: “We can confirm that he [Jenas] is no longer part of our presenting lineup and that he has now been removed from their MediaCity HQ mural over in Salford, which previously featured Jenas alongside his former BBC Sport colleagues.
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After Jenas then asks if they are still recording and if his microphone can be turned off, the line of questioning continues: “I can see that you’re fuming and I understand there are certain things you can’t talk about, but you are a major BBC star. Can you articulate any of your emotions towards the BBC and towards this happening to you?”
Refusing to be pressed on whether he knew about the decision before coming on the show and whether he’d like to apologise to any of the parties involved, he simply reiterates that he cannot talk about the situation for the 12th and final time.
Neither Jenas himself nor his representatives are yet to issue an official statement on the matter and the BBC hasn’t given any further comment on the person(s) involved at the time.
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This comes just a few months after fellow leading presenter Huw Edwards officially resigned from the BBC back in April following his own series allegations before ultimately pleading guilty to indecent images in July.
BBC’s official Code of Conduct states: “We want the standards here to give you the confidence to ask any questions if you’re not sure about something, and to speak up if you see something that doesn’t meet these standards. When you do, we’ll listen; we’ll talk openly, and we’ll act.”
Featured Images — BBC Sport (via screenshot/Irwandy (via Flickr)
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Major pop star CMAT pops up for surprise performance in Gay Village bar
Daisy Jackson
CMAT, one of the world’s hottest artists right now, popped up and did a surprise set inside a legendary Gay Village bar last night.
The Irish singer (who is a bit of an adopted Manc at this point) is about to play two massive sold-out shows in Manchester.
She’s set to play at the O2 Victoria Warehouse tonight and tomorrow, performing hits from her chart-topping third studio album Euro-Country.
But before that, it was a night out on Canal Street for CMAT, who stunned punters inside Via by hopping up on stage.
CMAT jumped on stage along with drag queen Ginger Hunter, resident queen Amy Laqueefa, and Dahliah Rivers and belted out a rendition of her smash hit single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.
The group – and the delighted audience – all joined her in nailing the choreography to the song too.
Sharing a couple of videos, Via wrote: “What a Night! Ireland’s Pop Princess @cmatbaby paid us a visit and gave us a very special rendition of Take a Sexy Picture! We love Cmat.”
She’d also been spotted earlier in the evening at Lily Allen’s West End Girl show at Aviva Studios.
Dahliah Rivers commented: “A fever dream!!! What a gorgeous evening”
Amy LaQueefa wrote: “Obsessed that CMAT wanted to come and get up with us tonight”
Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT relocated to Manchester as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.
She’s supported the likes of Sam Fender, and played massive festival slots like Glastonbury last summer.
And now CMAT will head straight from the stage at Via to a much bigger platform, with two sold-out gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on 11 and 12 March.
The full 2026 MOBOs Fringe programme for the first-ever awards in Manchester has been revealed
Danny Jones
Now the BRITs have been and gone, it’s time to switch our focus to the next big awards show: the 2026 MOBOs, which is also coming to Manchester for the very first time, and they’re bringing the popular Fringe event along with it.
Get ready for more big showbiz hustle and bustle to hit the city centre before you know it; we, for one, are so ready.
Similar to the aforementioned BRIT Awards, the MOBOs also hold a regular ‘Fringe’ music, arts and cultural festival with each annual edition.
You can see the full range of this year’s largely free-to-attend MOBOs Fringe lineup and the extensive schedule in its entirety down below.
Manchester, it’s your time.
The full #MOBOFringe 2026 programme is here – nine days of music, culture, panels, parties and showcases across the city ahead of the #MOBOAwards on 26 March.
As you can see, there’s a lot on the cards this year, with different activities and activations happening all over central Manchester.
Featuring everything from exclusive live sets, sport and other entertainment, to various selectors and even a creative summit, it’s jam-packed with countless aspects beyond just that music that help make the industry as a whole tick.
Venues involved include The Whitworth Gallery, faithful Green Island Festival partners, the Niamos Centre, multi-purpose bars and events spaces like Side Street and Renae, as well as important music venues like The Deaf Institute and Aviva Studios – a.k.a. the home of Factory International.
Each hosting a variety of different dates over the course of its nearly week-long duration ahead of the MOBO Awards themselves, there’s something for everyone and anyone interested not just in Black music and entertainment but Black-British culture and more.
For instance, we already heard about the exclusive basketball match between Manchester and a fellow European competitor, and tickets are live as we speak. You can see the full Fringe programme in more detail online.
Running from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 March, the event week is shaping up to be a cracker.
As for the inaugural Manc MOBOs ceremony at Co-op Live, it gets underway just a couple of days later on the following Thursday (26 Mar).
serving as the perfect way to close the Fringe and this year’s edition as a whole.
Tickets for the MOBO Awards Manchester debut are live as we speak, with general admission prices starting from less than £30. You can grab yours HERE.
As for those expected to be in attendance, the likes of Olivia Dean and local rapper Aitch have already been confirmed for the live music lineup, and to see the full list of nominees, look no further…
Danny Jones -
23rd August 2024 
