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Newsreader Selina Scott sues Five over age discrimination

01/09/2008

Selina Scott has launched a legal action against television channel Five over perceived age discrimination.

The presenter, 57, has claimed she had been earmarked to replace Natasha Kaplinsky on Five News during the latter's maternity leave, only to be overlooked.

And Scott, a former BBC Breakfast presenter, has levelled an age discrimination claim against the channel, alleging that Five reneged on an agreement.

A Tribunals Service spokeswoman said Scott's case was "at an early stage".

In response, a Five spokesman said: "We do not accept this claim and will be vigorously defending it."

Thirty-two-year-old Matt Barbet and Isla Traquair, 28, were announced as Kaplinsky's replacements in June.

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper earlier this year, Scott said she was "deeply saddened" by the declining presence of older women on TV.

"How many women are there on mainstream current affairs programmes who are over 50?" she said in January.

"Anna Ford has retired, Moira Stuart has been bumped off, yet you look around and see lots of men."