Old colleagues

The Telegraph, and others, are having fun with Mark Thompson and older women again. In an interview with Alice Thomson in The Times this week, he's reported to have said “I think that we should try and find more opportunities for older women across a broad range of programming. In drama and comedy we have a very strong tradition of older women taking part, some of our best-loved and most-fêted actors are older women. In the factual arena, our record is not zero. In political programming there are Martha Kearney, Emily Maitlis, Kirsty Wark, but we should find more opportunities for older women".  The BBC says his remarks have been misinterpreted, but there's no record of a qualifying phrase in the printed version of the conversation.

If Emily, just turned 40, IS a benchmark for "older", then Mark has little worry about. Sian Williams and Fiona Bruce are 46, Sophie Raworth is 42, and Kate Silverton, Susannah Reid and Joanna Gosling are 40.