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BBC presenter sacked for 'turban' remarks
A BBC radio presenter has been sacked for allegedly making racist comments about Asian-origin taxi drivers during an off-air phone conversation in which she asked a cab operator not to send a "guy with a turban".
A BBC radio presenter has been sacked for allegedly making racist comments about Asian-origin taxi drivers during an off-air phone conversation in which she asked a cab operator not to send a "guy with a turban".
Sam Mason, who presents the BBC Radio Bristol's afternoon programme, was suspended on Friday. She was then informed by station officials on Saturday that she would no longer work for the BBC.
Mason, 40, allegedly told a Bristol taxi firm "not to send an Asian driver to pick up her daughter".
She reportedly told a taxi operator: "A guy with a turban on is going to freak her out." When her request was refused, she is alleged to have said: "You've managed it before." The taxi worker was outraged and recorded the conversation, and passed a copy to The Sun newspaper.
A transcript of the conversation, published in The Sun, records how she ordered a taxi to take her 14-year-old from her Clifton house to her grandparents' home.
A BBC spokesman said: "Although Sam Mason's remarks were not made on-air, her comments were completely unacceptable and, for that reason, she has been informed that she will no longer be working for the BBC with immediate effect."
