Veteran television presenter Johnny Ball has accused the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of ageism, claiming his daughter Zoe Ball lost her BBC Radio 2 job because she was "over 50".
Speaking at The Dorchester Literary Festival while promoting his new book, An Autobiography: Stories That Have To Be Told, the 88-year-old criticised the broadcaster for not wanting to keep its older and more experienced television stars in favour of younger ones to appeal to Generation Z (Gen Z).
Zoe Ball, 55, stepped down from BBC Radio 2 last year after quitting the Breakfast Show at the end of 2024 and her Saturday afternoon show months later.
Addressing the audience in Dorchester, Dorset, Johnny Ball reflected on his own decades at the corporation alongside his daughter's exit. "I did Play School for 17 years, I wrote nearly all of Play Away then I did Think Of A Number and Think Again," he said.
"I loved every minute of it. But what happens when you are 50 at the BBC? Gone! Zoe was 54. Gone! You cannot believe it because we gave so much to the BBC," he added.
Johnny Ball became a household name in British children's television during the 1970s and 1980s, presenting educational programmes that introduced young viewers to mathematics and science.
Strictly Come Dancing hosts and Zoe Ball audition
Johnny Ball also weighed in on the new hosts of the BBC One dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe, after Zoe Ball auditioned and missed out on the job.
Comparing Widdicombe to the late Strictly Come Dancing presenter Bruce Forsyth, he said: "Josh is not a Bruce Forsyth. He is a lovely bloke and I have met him a couple of times but he is not a domineering comedian as some comedians like Bruce Forsyth were."
Recalling his own stint as a contestant on the show, he added: "When I did Strictly, and I only did three shows, but on each show I gave Brucie a joke and he used them and he said to me 'I have got a writer here and he does b****r all so thanks very much'. And he said to me 'You should never have gone out' but that's another story."
Strictly Come Dancing has anchored the BBC One Saturday schedule since 2004, when Forsyth first co-hosted the series. Zoe Ball previously competed on the contest and spent a decade presenting its BBC Two spin-off, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
Zoe Ball salary and BBC Radio 2 exit
Before quitting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, Zoe Ball was one of the corporation's highest-paid female stars, taking home £950,000 a year.
After an extended break following her mother's death, she returned to the programme for a few months before announcing her departure at the end of 2024. She then took over the station's Saturday afternoon slot, quitting less than a year later in December 2025.
She previously told how suffering from "crippling anxiety" while coping with the grief of her mother's death and going through perimenopause left her struggling to get through the shows.
BBC Radio 2 is the corporation's flagship national popular music network. Zoe Ball became the first permanent female host of its Breakfast Show in 2019, having earlier co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show in the 1990s.
BBC Radio 2 and Strictly Come Dancing ageism claims
The BBC has previously faced accusations of age discrimination from former stars. In 2022, BBC Radio 2 was accused of "rank ageism" when four presenters were replaced by hosts who were on average 25 years younger.
Vanessa Feltz, Paul O'Grady, Craig Charles and Steve Wright, whose ages ranged from 58 to 68 at the time, announced their departures from the station.
A BBC insider told The Daily Mail that "it's so blatant what is going on here", adding that "these younger hosts are being tested out over the summer which is the perfect time to do so. But the age difference between them and the outgoing lot is massive."
Speaking about the decision to axe Steve Wright, who died in 2024, from his show, former BBC radio presenter David Hamilton said: "You can't be sexist, you can't be racist, but it seems you can be ageist."
Strictly Come Dancing was also accused of ageism in 2009 when Arlene Phillips was axed from the judging panel and replaced by Alesha Dixon. The show has additionally faced claims of favouring younger professional dancers after older pros, such as Karen Hauer and Nadiya Bychkova, were axed to make way for fresh faces.
BBC News presenters discrimination tribunal resolution
Last year, four BBC broadcast news presenters, Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh, dropped their tribunal over age and sex discrimination allegations on unknown terms.
Confirming to The Daily Mail that the case had been dropped, Giannone said in a statement on behalf of the four: "We can confirm that we have reached a resolution with BBC management that avoids the need for a tribunal hearing in respect of our employment-related claims."
The statement continued: "A protracted process lasting almost three years is now over. We've been deeply moved by the support we've received. We look forward to contributing further to the success of BBC News, especially to live programming and the growing streaming services that are so important to our audiences."
BBC £500 million savings plan and channel closures
The BBC is aiming to save £500 million by 2028, saying in a corporate statement that the decision had been made "due to the sustained financial pressures facing the organisation".
Around 100 staff are set to lose their jobs in the broadcaster's newsroom, with further roles expected to be cut as a result of television channel closures, including 10 in Scotland.
Last week, it was announced that BBC Three and BBC Scotland will become online-only services next spring, with Radio 4 Extra also set to close. Previous reports suggest the BBC planned to cut some 2,000 jobs in its effort to save £500 million over the next three years.
