John McCririck loses his age discrimination case
Racing pundit John McCririck has lost his age discrimination employment tribunal case against Channel 4, he says
McCririck, 73, was seeking damages of £3 million from Channel 4 and IMG Sports Media for “ageism”, after he was dropped from the presenting team.
McCririck had held his role for 29 years before IMG Sports Media took over at the start of this year. A new look-team was put in place with former BBC racing presenter Clare Balding and Racing UK anchor Nick Luck heading up the coverage.
The Central London Employment Tribunal has ruled against his claim.
The panel said: “All the evidence is that Mr McCririck’s pantomime persona, as demonstrated on the celebrity television appearances, and his persona when appearing on Channel 4 Racing, together with his self-described bigoted and male chauvinist views were clearly unpalatable to a wider potential audience.
“The tribunal is satisfied that the respondent had the legitimate aim of attracting a wider audience to horseracing.”
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.