The broadcaster Danny Baker has been fired by BBC Radio 5 Live following allegations of racism over a tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s newborn son, Archie, that featured a picture of a chimpanzee. The tweet, which has since been deleted by Baker, showed a black and white photo of a well-dressed couple next to a suited chimpanzee with the caption: “Royal baby leaves hospital.” Baker apologised for using the picture but was sacked on Thursday morning, leading him to lash out at the corporation over its handling of the incident. A BBC spokesperson said: “This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us.” Prince Harry and Meghan, whose mother is African American, revealed on Wednesday their new arrival was named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Following allegations of racism over the tweet, Baker deleted the post on Wednesday. “Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased,” he said. “Soon as those good enough to point out it’s possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And that’s it.” Baker, 61, repeated his apology on Wednesday evening, saying the post was intended to poke fun at the royal family. “Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. Was supposed to be joke about royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted,” he said on Twitter. “Royal watching not my forte. Also, guessing it was my turn in the barrel.” After the BBC sacked him, Baker attacked the corporation for its handling of the decision, which he called “a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity”. He tweeted: “Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking.” In an LBC interview after he was fired, Baker told James O’Brien: “It was put up there as a joke about class. It was supposed to be preposterous about toffs leaving. The idea that there was any racial basis for it … it came out of my own ignorance. “I curdled that I thought anyone could have thought that was the intent behind that photo.” Many public figures felt the BBC had made the right decision. Charlene White, an anchor at ITV News, said: “To claim ‘ignorance’, and give a half-hearted apology – again full of jokey ‘banter’ – despite people highlighting just how clearly offensive it is, is also unacceptable. That’s not the world we live in now. Those who live in privilege must be held to account.” The writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch tweeted: “Not only does Danny Baker post an image comparing a baby w African heritage to an ape, but he has the audacity to say problem is that those of us who point out how racist it is have ‘diseased minds’.” Baker, a prominent and popular voice on the BBC and elsewhere for decades, has had run-ins with the corporation before. In 1997, he was sacked from the same station after it was alleged he had incited threatening behaviour after a referee awarded a controversial penalty in an FA cup tie. In 2012, after his afternoon show on BBC London was axed, he said on Twitter: “BBC asked me not to say anything just yet about axing best show on British radio. Why? Because it’s embarrassing? Because they’ll look bad?” He later branded his bosses “pinheaded weasels” during an on-air rant during the programme. The DJ and comedy writer has been working intermittently for the BBC since the 1980s.<doc-sep>"You can't just say sorry and then carry on like it's business as usual. When you have an incredibly important platform like he does, you do have to think about what you do and the signals that it sends out."<doc-sep>He added: "Anyway I am now paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder and rightly so. Probably even this final word from me will extend the mania. ('Dog whistle' anyone?) I would like to thank friends on here for their kinder words and once again - I am so, so sorry."<doc-sep>Police are investigating Danny Baker's tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby, which resulted in the radio presenter being sacked by the BBC. The broadcaster was accused of racism when he posted a black and white photo of a man and woman holding hands with a suited chimpanzee after Meghan gave birth. In the caption, Baker, 61, wrote: "Royal baby leaves hospital." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 'I'm not a slavering, secret racist' He later deleted the tweet, admitting it was "ridiculous, stupid and idiotic", but insisted he was not racist. A Metropolitan Police spokesman told Sky News: "An allegation has been received by the Metropolitan Police Service on Thursday, 9 May in relation to a tweet published on the 8 May. Advertisement "As is routine, the allegation will be reviewed and assessed by specialist officers." A day after being fired from his role on BBC Radio Five Live, Baker posted a series of messages on Twitter on Friday apologising for the "outrage" he had caused. He described the controversy as "one of the worst days of my life" and said he made a "genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake". "The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so - seriously who on earth would 'go there'? ", Baker wrote. Baker revealed he had been sacked on Thursday and criticised the BBC's handling of the situation. He said the phone call telling him he was fired was a "masterclass of pompous faux-gravity" and the corporation "literally threw me under the bus". Image: Baker spoke to reporters outside his home on Thursday In a statement announcing Baker had been fired, a BBC spokesman said: "This was a serious error of judgement and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. "Danny's a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us." Broadcaster Afua Hirsch criticised Baker's initial response to the controversy after he claimed he had not seen the problem with the tweet because his mind was "not diseased". She said: "So not only does Danny Baker post an image comparing a baby [with] African heritage to an ape, but he has the audacity to say the problem is that those of us who point out how racist it is have 'diseased minds'. "Classic example of blaming those of us who call out racism for its existence." However comedian Dara O'Briain said he was "amazed" Baker had been fired, saying the presenter had "immediately apologised and deleted the tweet". "I mean, literally, in the event of mistakenly causing offence, what else can you do? Genuinely amazed by that," O'Briain wrote on Twitter. Prince Harry and Meghan, whose mother is African American, revealed on Wednesday that they have named their new arrival Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.<doc-sep>
Danny Baker has admitted his tweet depicting the duke and duchess of Sussex's son as a monkey was "ridiculous, stupid and idiotic", but has insisted he is not racist. The radio presenter has been sacked after posting a black and white photo showing a well-dressed man and woman holding hands with a suited chimpanzee. Baker captioned it: "Royal baby leaves hospital." He later apologised, writing: "Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased," he wrote. Just got fired from @bbc5live. For the record - it was red sauce. Always. — Danny Baker (@prodnose) May 9, 2019 "Soon as those good enough to point out its possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And that's it." It was Baker himself who announced via his Twitter account the decision by the BBC. "Just got fired from @bbc5live. For the record - it was red sauce. Always," he said referring to a segment on his show. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player In full: 'It came from such a naive, silly thing' Speaking to Sky News, the broadcaster said: "I've seen these things happen to other people but you never think it's going to happen to you. "The unconscious and ridiculous tweet I did yesterday has started all this off." :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker He insisted he was not some "slathering, secret racist, adding: "What I did was make a ridiculous, stupid and idiotic mistake." Image: Baker's angry reaction to the decision But despite admitting the BBC had no choice but to sack him - he said the corporation could have handled it better. He tweeted: "The call to fire me from @bbc5live was a masterclass of pompous faux-gravity. Took a tone that said I actually meant that ridiculous tweet and the BBC must uphold blah blah blah. Literally threw me under the bus. Could hear the suits knees knocking." A BBC spokesman said: "This was a serious error of judgement and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. "Danny's a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us." :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Following his original tweet, other users reacted with anger with @nick_BLM writing: "All those people defending #DannyBaker saying they can't see the connection between black people and sick racist monkey comments try being a black kid at school for a while! #RoyalBaby The 61-year-old later deleted the post and apologised again, saying the joke was intended to poke fun at the Royal family. "Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. Was supposed to be joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted. "Royal watching not my forte. Also, guessing it was my turn in the barrel." Harry and Meghan, whose mother is African American, revealed on Wednesday that their new arrival was named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.