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Jermaine Jenas reacts to being sacked by the BBC for ‘workplace conduct’ live on talkSPORT

It's a very tense listen.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 23rd August 2024

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.

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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.”

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Featured Images — BBC Sport (via screenshot/Irwandy (via Flickr)

News

Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.

In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.

According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.

One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.

Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.

“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”

Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.

The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.

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“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.

Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.

Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)

News

Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.

Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.

According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.

When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.

Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.

Patient in a hospital bed
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)

This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September. 

The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.

Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.

Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.

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But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’

“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.

Featured Image – Pxhere

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