bbc assignment programme

'I'm not happy': Jermaine Jenas sacked by BBC while live on air at talkSPORT

The former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder has been a presenter on BBC's The One Show since 2020 and provided punditry on Match Of The Day.

News reporter @niamhielynch

Saturday 24 August 2024 08:25, UK

Former footballer Jermaine Jenas says he is "not happy" with his sacking from the BBC over claims of inappropriate behaviour.

The broadcaster earlier confirmed Jenas is "no longer part" of The One Show's "presenting line-up".

The news of Jenas's sacking broke as he started presenting a three-hour drive-time programme on talkSPORT radio with fellow former footballer Jermaine Pennant.

Jenas, 41, has also been dropped from his punditry and presenting duties on the BBC's flagship football highlights programme Match Of The Day, as well as Match Of The Day 2 and Radio 5 Live.

BBC News reported his contract was terminated earlier this week due to alleged issues relating to workplace behaviour.

It also reported the termination followed allegations involving digital communications, such as texts, which were raised with the corporation a few weeks ago.

Speaking to a talkSPORT reporter on Thursday evening, Jenas said: "I can't really talk about it. As you can probably see, I'm not happy about it. But currently as it stands I'm going to have to let the lawyers deal with it.

"There's two sides... that's all I can say now."

He added: "I'm not happy about this situation. I'm going to be speaking to my lawyers about it, is all I can say right now."

Jenas said he couldn't talk about the subjects of most questions asked by the radio station but agreed with the interviewer when the latter said: "I can see you're fuming."

The former footballer also declined to say whether he has begun legal proceedings.

In an email to employees, seen by Sky News, the BBC said: "I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC."

A spokesperson for talkSPORT said the station was "made aware of a breaking news story involving Jermaine Jenas as he went on air for a one-off presenting slot on talkSPORT Drive".

A statement added: "We made a decision - with Jermaine - that he should continue to present the show.

"Given the array of serious allegations being reported as the story continues to evolve, it's for Jermaine as a private individual to address them in the way he chooses.

"There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future."

Jenas last presented The One Show in mid-July, and last appeared on Match Of The Day in May.

Read more: Strictly dancer kicked partner during rehearsal BBC asks Huw Edwards to return £200k of salary

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Jenas, who earned between £190,000 and £194,999 at the BBC for his work on the FA Cup, Match Of The Day and the World Cup in 2022/23, also works for TNT Sports.

His salary for presenting The One Show has not been made public as the show is made by BBC Studios, the BBC's commercial production company.

Jenas made his footballing debut aged 17 for Nottingham Forest and went on to play for Newcastle United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers during his career.

Jenas also made 21 appearances for England, scoring one goal.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

The midfielder moved into punditry and presenting on the BBC and BT Sport after retiring from professional football in 2016.

The father-of-four joined The One Show in 2020 as a stand-in co-host following the departure of Matt Baker, and he was made a permanent fixture the following year.

His agency MC Saatchi also said it no longer represents him following the news of his sacking.

TNT Sports said it would not comment on Jenas's employment with the BBC but it is understood that he is not scheduled to appear on the platform's channels for a number of weeks.

Jenas was a co-commentator on the Ipswich v Liverpool match on TNT last Saturday as the Premier League returned.

It is believed that TNT Sports was unaware of the status of Jenas's employment with the BBC.

talkSPORT did not immediately respond to Sky's request for comment.

Related Topics

A vital connection linking the four suspects in Ashley's death is revealed. Olivia's case goes to trial. But will the suspect turn up for sentencing?

Ashley and Olivia are brutally gunned down at home and Liverpool is reeling in shock

Arrests are made and vital clues discovered, but still no one's talking

The net tightens in the Ashley murder hunt, but progress with Olivia's case has stalled

Olivia's case goes to trial. And the police make a vital breakthrough on Ashley's murder.

More Like This

Solving the toughest murders involves piecing together a deadly puzzle. follow investigators as they close in on killers by reconstructing a victim's final 24 hours. part of true crime on channel 4. homicide: hours to kill, the chances of solving a homicide are cut in half if a lead isn't found within 48 hours. this documentary series follows detectives as they race against the clock. part of true crime on channel 4. the first 48, next-generation true crime series revealing the ground-breaking police techniques used to solve murders on britain's streets. part of true crime on channel 4. murder case: the digital detectives, ex-detective dave grimstead, from locate international, revisits cases of unidentified bodies around the uk using cutting-edge forensics. part of true crime on channel 4. the body detectives, revisit the case that gripped the us. on christmas eve 2002, eight-months pregnant laci peterson vanishes. police suspect her husband, scott. but he claims innocence. part of true crime on channel 4. the murder of laci peterson, a re-examination of the brutal murders of four flight attendants in the 70s and 80s. is the wrong man behind bars if so - will the victims' families ever get justice part of true crime on channel 4. the flight attendant murders, of the nearly 3000 inmates on death row in america, only 51 are women. this documentary series examines these women's stories. part of true crime on channel 4. women on death row, former detectives re-open the file on suspected serial killer charles sobhraj, aka 'the serpent', who agrees to be interrogated about several murders from the 1970s. part of true crime on channel 4. real serpent: investigating a serial killer.

BBC Radio 2 to pay tribute to Steve Wright across three shows

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice .

A series of BBC Radio 2 tribute shows to the late broadcaster Steve Wright will celebrate him as a “master of his craft”.

On what would have been the DJ’s 70th birthday, Vernon Kay , Liza Tarbuck and Paul Gambaccini will each host a programme dedicated to Wright on August 26.

Wright died in February, aged 69, from a ruptured ulcer in his stomach caused by acute peritonitis.

Tributes will begin with Kay’s Steve Wright Remembered from 2pm until 4pm, in which famous faces, including former prime minister David Cameron and singers Billy Ocean and Barry Gibb , will share their memories of the former Radio 2 afternoon show presenter.

Kay said: “Steve Wright was the don of UK radio, the master of his craft and an absolute perfectionist, researching each guest meticulously to ensure he had the right question at the right time.

“He put his guests at ease and by doing so, teased out never-heard-before anecdotes and facts from them.

“Steve was always putting smiles on the faces of his guests as well as his listeners, so it’s an honour to present this celebratory programme, where we’ll hear tributes from some of the Big Show’s most famous guests.”

From 4pm until 6pm, Tarbuck will host What Steve Meant To Me: A Listeners’ Special, where audience members will share their memories.

Tarbuck said: “Steve Wright was a broadcasting legend who broke fresh ground throughout his career, and remains an inspiration to us all.

“To celebrate what would have been his 70th birthday, we want to offer a salute to this unique man who spent so much of his life making sure everyone had a better day.

“We have stories from all sorts of people who knew and worked with him, and we’d love to hear yours. It promises to be a gorgeous show. See you there.”

Between 6pm and 8pm, Gambaccini will present Steve Wright In His Own Words, which will include BBC archive clips, with excerpts from Wright’s episode of the Radio Radio series which aired in 1986, plus a 2010 interview – much of it previously unaired – for the Radio 2 series Music In The Air: A History Of Music Radio.

Wright also speaks about his early love for offshore pirate radio in the 1960s, and his admiration for innovative DJ Kenny Everett and American music radio pioneers, such as Rick Dees and Scott Shannon, who popularised the Zoo radio format.

Wright joined Radio 1 in 1980 and was best known as the host of Radio 2’s Steve Wright In The Afternoon, Sunday Love Songs and Pick Of The Pops.

Kay’s programme will also be made available on BBC Sounds.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in