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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be hurt and annoyed at being dropped by the BBC?

641 replies

Ladyof2025 · 12/02/2025 18:14

BBC contacted me asking me to speak on camera about an aspect of local history I happen to know a bit about. I agreed and spent the next few days brushing up on the facts and then writing and rewriting a script and reading it out loud again and again until I knew it by heart and could speak confidently to camera as though I'd never said it before.

I do not have a pretty face, and am in my 60s and rather podgy, but I went to the trouble of going through my wardrobe for the perfect outfit that flattered my podginess, and had my hair cut specially and put on some make up, so I could be the best possible version of me that I could.

The production team visited, took me to the site and filmed me speaking. I did it smoothly and confidently and was glad that I had put in all the rehearsal so I came across as knowledgeable, professional and confident of my material. They said my performance was perfect, thanked me profusely and left.

After about a week they rang me to say that due to time and space issues the section of the programme that featured my input had been dropped. I felt absolutely gutted, not because I want to see myself on TV but because I had used up a lot of my valuable free time for several days preparing and rehearsing for it (for no fee I should add).

A few months later the programme I was dropped from came on TV and to my utter astonishment an attractive, slim young lady appeared, at the same site I was filmed at, and she spoke the exact words I had written and rehearsed! I nearly fell off my chair - the absolute bloody cheek of dropping ME but stealing the script that I had written. Thinking about it, I realised that they wanted my expert input, but not my saggy face or ample figure.

AIBU to be hurt and angry?

OP posts:
mitogoshigg · 12/02/2025 19:27

Do complain but check first if it was the bbc or a production company making a programme, then you would need to complain to them

Chersfrozenface · 12/02/2025 19:29

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I doubt whether it was a journalistic piece. Local history is very rarely current news. It sounds more like a piece for a magazine type format.

fridaynight1 · 12/02/2025 19:29

It happened to my DH. He is an expert in his field. They came and interviewed him on camera at his place of work. 3 days later they broadcast an interview with a young man in a suit and he repeated what my DH had said. They didn’t even try to mix it up a bit - it was literally word for word.
DH has no clue who he was - and he knows everyone who knows anything in this field.
He assumes he was a young grad who was probably related to the producer.

I’m sorry this happened to you OP. DH was furious but also a little sad that day. It sucks when the realisation hits you that you’ve become invisible. Hold your head high fuck ‘em all 💐

ItGhoul · 12/02/2025 19:30

I’ve worked in/with the media and I can tell you now that your appearance would not have been the reason you were dropped.

Guests and items get dropped from shows at the last minute all the time, honestly. I’ve been a publicist and had extremely glamorous actors ditched from news and feature shows at the last minute too.

Some people are also just more engaging speakers than others. In my previous job, the expert the Beeb always asked me for when contacting my organisation was very much not young or pretty - she was quite eccentric in fact - but just an absolute natural at interviews.

Twaddlepip · 12/02/2025 19:31

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Yes. This sounds like BBC-bashing porkies. Especially as it sounds like local news/programming, where there’s fuck all money being spent. They simply don’t have the time or cash to be revisiting a site to re-film a VT or segment with someone ‘more attractive’.

Twaddlepip · 12/02/2025 19:32

Also they’d never just rehash your words, they’re not idiots.

ByRealPoet · 12/02/2025 19:32

WilmaTitsDrop · 12/02/2025 18:25

I've been on the BBC for a similar reason and I find this very strange.

All the clothes sorting, hair cutting, writing your own script (who even does that??) was entirely your own choice.

They normally just want people to chat naturally about the subject, which is probably what the other woman did.

The other woman recited what OP had written word for word🤨

Cherryandpineapple · 12/02/2025 19:33

That’s awful op. I’m sorry they did that to you.

PinkArt · 12/02/2025 19:35

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And given in the state the industry is in at the moment, there's no way they had the budget either. If this happened, they spent thousands to reshoot, which would only happen in really extreme circumstances. I can't think of a situation where I've had to do that in 20 years working in factual TV.

arcticpandas · 12/02/2025 19:39

Are you sure this happened OP? It sounds like something my aunt would say but she's half in lala-land most of the time. If it happened put in a formal complaint to the BBC.

Are you sure it wasn't a production company trying to sell in something to the BBC? Who contacted you? Does he work for the BBC?

Twaddlepip · 12/02/2025 19:40

Cherryandpineapple · 12/02/2025 19:33

That’s awful op. I’m sorry they did that to you.

I really wouldn’t worry..,

MonotoneHerbivore · 12/02/2025 19:42

Givemestrength1000 · 12/02/2025 18:31

Yeh sure. Why don’t you post a link to the programme for us all to see. The BBC has strict rules about things like this. I can’t see any journalist jeopardising their whole career for a short piece on local history

Ha! BBC and their strict rules.

Newbie8918 · 12/02/2025 19:45

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Agreed

Developedanillness · 12/02/2025 19:49

teaandyarn · 12/02/2025 18:20

Put it on TikTok! It’s an outrage and I’m fuming on your behalf.

What does that even mean fgs ....what does 'putting it on tik tok' achieve??

TaggieO · 12/02/2025 19:50

Was It actually verbatim what you wrote, or was she talking about the exact same thing? Because if you were discussing historical fact, there are only so many ways to say “this is Hever Castle, built in 1270. Home to the Boleyn family in the 1400s, it was later home to the Astor family” or whatever.

AlmostCutMyHairToday · 12/02/2025 19:53

In reply to the PP's saying it's not possible. It is possible.

I work on tv documentaries and we sometimes go back to the same location to film pickups after we're part way through the edit. This helps us to be more targeted with the final bits of filming.

The replacement may have been a member of production, not an actor.

Yes, budgets are TIGHT, but Directors are not the most budget / schedule conscious, as much as we try to get them to be!!

That being said, I've never heard of anything like this before! But maybe the producer was plain lazy. Or maybe someone had a transcript of the original interview, passed it on, and the instruction to re-write it was forgotten.

OP may have signed a release form stating they can use the contribution in any way shape or form. But if the producers did knowingly re-use her script then they should have at least told her they were doing so, and the reasons why. They could have offered a token fee as a nice gesture if they couldn't be arsed to re-write it. And they could have added her to the 'With Thanks To' section of the end credits.

Fountofwisdom · 12/02/2025 19:53

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Yolo12345 · 12/02/2025 19:54

Ask if you can get the footage - it will be a nice keepsake.

BornSandyDevotional · 12/02/2025 19:56

Don't take it personally. Genuinely.

bluelavender · 12/02/2025 20:03

Was it BBC directly or a production company making a show to go out on BBC?

RaveToTheGrave1 · 12/02/2025 20:07

Today on total bollocks, everyone on the local history bits is always old or a bit odd, they didn't shaft you, you must have seen the state of some of the weirdys they get on to talk about what local crap they've dredged up in the local dig this week, or regale everyone with tales of their local boozer.

CenotaphCorner · 12/02/2025 20:09

I’m gobsmacked! Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago! I was contacted by a tv producer and my ego gushingly flattered saying I’d come to them highly recommended etc. etc. so we agreed a date to meet at the historic venue where I was going to do a bit to camera. As it happened I couldn’t make the date after all so not wanting to let them down contacted a fellow enthusiast to see if they could take my place. He was somewhat taken aback as it turned out the producers had also contacted him and arranged a similar meeting for the next day! He challenged them and apparently they’d arranged to meet 4 of us in a kind of audition. Needless to say the gig eventually went to a very photogenic candidate. Apparently this is how things in tv land are done - even for game shows!

peachesarenom · 12/02/2025 20:13

Ladyof2025 · 12/02/2025 18:14

BBC contacted me asking me to speak on camera about an aspect of local history I happen to know a bit about. I agreed and spent the next few days brushing up on the facts and then writing and rewriting a script and reading it out loud again and again until I knew it by heart and could speak confidently to camera as though I'd never said it before.

I do not have a pretty face, and am in my 60s and rather podgy, but I went to the trouble of going through my wardrobe for the perfect outfit that flattered my podginess, and had my hair cut specially and put on some make up, so I could be the best possible version of me that I could.

The production team visited, took me to the site and filmed me speaking. I did it smoothly and confidently and was glad that I had put in all the rehearsal so I came across as knowledgeable, professional and confident of my material. They said my performance was perfect, thanked me profusely and left.

After about a week they rang me to say that due to time and space issues the section of the programme that featured my input had been dropped. I felt absolutely gutted, not because I want to see myself on TV but because I had used up a lot of my valuable free time for several days preparing and rehearsing for it (for no fee I should add).

A few months later the programme I was dropped from came on TV and to my utter astonishment an attractive, slim young lady appeared, at the same site I was filmed at, and she spoke the exact words I had written and rehearsed! I nearly fell off my chair - the absolute bloody cheek of dropping ME but stealing the script that I had written. Thinking about it, I realised that they wanted my expert input, but not my saggy face or ample figure.

AIBU to be hurt and angry?

I'm shocked and angry on your behalf!

27Maisie27 · 12/02/2025 20:16

How did the BBC have your script, if it was something you'd learnt off by heart yourself?

ffsfindmeausername · 12/02/2025 20:19

If this is true then the BBC need showing up for this. It is pure discrimination. you'd probably have had a good case if you were disabled and they'd dropped you for an able bodied person but not sure how far you'd get in saying they dropped you for someone you felt was more pleasing to eye so to speak.
Also isn't it plagiarism if they've stolen your work?
I'm annoyed on your behalf op. Definitely take this further and I think we may see you on TV after all with this complaint as this is so wrong. makes you wonder how many times things like this have happened?

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