A BBC television presenter is reportedly now facing potential disciplinary action after appearing visibly uncomfortable while reading the term “pregnant people” during a live broadcast — a moment that has sparked both backlash and praise amid growing debate over gender-neutral language in British media.
Martine Croxall, a veteran BBC News host, drew attention in June after she paused noticeably and corrected herself while reading from a teleprompter during a segment about a study on heat-related deaths in the United Kingdom.
“London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has released research, which says that nearly 600 heat-related deaths are expected in the U.K.,” Croxall said during the broadcast. “Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, says that the aged, pregnant people… women,” she added after a brief pause, “and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.”
The brief hesitation was enough to trigger 20 formal complaints, with critics accusing her of showing “disgust” at using the inclusive phrase “pregnant people.”
🚨In June, a BBC teleprompter instructed presenter, Martine Croxall, to say ‘pregnant people’.
She, bravely, corrected this term by saying ‘women’.
Today, the BBC has announced that she broke the rules because of her “facial expression”.
Our national broadcaster is a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/laFtN1xoEb
— James Esses (@JamesEsses) November 6, 2025
Croxall’s reaction quickly went viral, with many social media users applauding what they saw as an act of quiet resistance against politically correct overreach. “I have a new favorite BBC presenter,” author J.K. Rowling wrote on X, echoing widespread approval among those critical of gender-neutral terminology being used to replace biologically specific language.
Initially, BBC representatives defended Croxall’s reaction, attributing it to “scripting which somewhat clumsily incorporated phrases from the press release accompanying the research.” However, that defense shifted this week.
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) announced Thursday that Croxall’s conduct violated the network’s editorial standards on impartiality. “The phrase ‘pregnant people’ was followed by a facial expression which has been variously interpreted by complainants as showing disgust, ridicule, contempt or exasperation,” the ECU wrote. “The ECU considered the facial expression which accompanied the change of ‘people’ to ‘women’ laid it open to the interpretation that it indicated a particular viewpoint in the controversies currently surrounding trans identity.”
The BBC statement added that “the congratulatory messages Ms. Croxall later received on social media, together with the critical views expressed in the complaints to the BBC and elsewhere, tended to confirm that the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of opinion on the issue.”
The corporation did not specify what disciplinary action, if any, Croxall would face. But the incident has reignited questions about the broadcaster’s handling of language around sex and gender — and its commitment to ideological neutrality.
Many viewers and commentators have rallied behind Croxall. Television host Piers Morgan posted, “The BBC expects a female presenter to use the words ‘pregnant people’ about pregnant WOMEN, and then reprimands her when she rolls her eyes?! Pathetic.”
Supporters argue the BBC’s rebuke reflects a broader intolerance for dissent within institutions that once prized journalistic independence. In their view, Croxall’s moment of hesitation was not bias — but instinct.
As one commentator on British talk radio put it, “She did what most people were thinking.”
[READ MORE: Bannon Warns Conservatives of Political Retaliation if Democrats Win Future Elections]
