Chris Packham, animal rights and the BBC

Chief Executive Designate Tim Bonner writes:

Chris Packham is a BBC presenter. We know that because he tells us so in his Twitter biography and because he appears on nearly every BBC programme with any link to wildlife. He is also a disciple of the animal rights movement and signs up to its creed by voicing his opposition to all the usual activities from badger culling to grouse shooting and, of course, hunting.

A couple of years ago the BBC did reprimand him for using "intemperate" language when he used social media to describe farmers involved in the badger cull as "brutalist thugs, liars and frauds", but he has continued to happily use the fame given to him by his work for the BBC to promote an increasingly extreme agenda.

We are lucky live in a liberal democracy where people are able to hold any number of bizarre views. There is no issue with people voicing such opinions, but using the position granted by a public service broadcaster to promote an extreme agenda is a different thing entirely. The BBC knows this, and has been forced to act once, but it has also ignored other complaints and failed to address its employees obvious abuse of his position.

The new edition of BBC Wildlife magazine carries a column by Chris Packham which is remarkable in that it picks a fight with practically everyone. Fox hunters and game shooters, obviously, but also, the National Trust, the Wildlife Trusts and even the RSPB (of which he is vice-President) because they will not join his obsessive crusades. Apparently these organisations are "hamstrung by outdated liaisons with the 'nasty brigade' " (that would be us). It is bad enough that a BBC magazine should print such blatant political propaganda, but worse that it comes from the pen of one of its high profile employees.

We will complain (although we should not have to) and there will be the usual excuses about contracted employees, BBC magazines being a separate division and Chris Packham not presenting 'at the moment', but this is all nonsense. This is the clearest possible abuse of the position the BBC has given Chris Packham and as it is an ongoing behaviour, rather than an isolated incident, it is difficult to see how the situation can change. If it does not then the BBC's only answer can be to remove the BBC from Chris Packham's biography by refusing to employ him any more.

Tim Bonner
Chief Executive
Follow on Twitter @CA_TimB