BBC presenter issues apology after calling comedian Eddie Izzard, 63, ‘the man’ during radio broadcast
BBC presenter Anita Anand has apologised for “misgendering” comedian Eddie Izzard during Radio 4’s PM programme on Friday.
Anand said she was “very very sorry” after referring to Izzard as “the man” during the broadcast.
The apology came despite Izzard, 63, previously expressing indifference to gender labels and pronouns.
The gender-fluid comedian, who uses she/her pronouns, has previously told The Telegraph: “He, she it doesn’t matter.”
Izzard appeared on the programme to promote a new production of Hamlet, which will tour the UK with all 23 roles played by the comedian.
During the pre-recorded interview, Anand had asked Izzard to perform a snippet of the play for listeners, which Izzard politely declined.
After the interview, Anand told listeners that Izzard’s response had amused Charles Carroll, a Radio 4 newsreader.
“Just to let you know that Charles Carroll’s belly laugh when I asked the man quite reasonably to do a bit, and he just went, ‘No’, will be a thing I’ll never forget,” Anand said.
The programme continued for 25 minutes before Anand paused between segments to issue her apology.
“Now a little earlier in the programme you might have heard me accidentally misgender Eddie Izzard. I’m very very sorry about that,” she stated.
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Izzard has previously made clear that pronouns are not a concern, telling the Political Party podcast: “I prefer to see she/her, I don’t mind he/him… I’m Eddie.”
The comedian added: “There’s another name I’m going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which I wanted to be since I was 10.”
Izzard further explained: “I’m going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard, that’s how I’m going to roll, so people can choose what they want. They can’t make a mistake, they can’t go wrong.”
This stance suggests that Izzard has deliberately taken a flexible approach to gender identity and pronouns.
The BBC’s news style guide dictates that staff “use the term and pronoun preferred by the person in question” when reporting.
This editorial guideline places responsibility on BBC presenters to correctly address individuals according to their stated preferences.
Anand’s swift apology appears to align with these internal BBC policies on gender identity and respectful language.
The incident highlights the challenges broadcasters face when navigating discussions around gender identity, even in cases where the individual in question has expressed flexibility about pronouns.
BBC presenters are expected to adhere to these guidelines regardless of the subject’s own stated position on misgendering.
Last February, the BBC upheld a complaint against Today presenter Justin Webb after he called trans women “males” on Radio 4.
A listener complained that Webb’s comment breached the BBC’s impartiality requirements by appearing to endorse a personal viewpoint.
The BBC’s editorial complaints unit agreed, stating it “gave the impression of endorsing one viewpoint in a highly controversial area”.
Such a great gang of women! https://t.co/EJGyr2DApo
— anita anand (@tweeter_anita) March 13, 2025
The ruling drew criticism from gender-critical activists who claimed it showed the BBC had “lost sight of its statutory duty to be impartial”.
Unlike Webb’s case, Anand issued an immediate on-air apology, despite Izzard’s previously stated indifference to gender labels.