The BBC has denied claims that singer Roisin Murphy was removed from 6 Music's schedule following a social media post she made criticising puberty blockers.
The Co Wicklow-born singer said on her personal Facebook page that “puberty blockers are f***ng, absolutely desolate” and “Big pharma laughing all the way to the bank.”
Ms Murphy added: “Please don’t call me a terf [trans-exclusionary radical feminist], please don’t keep using that word against women.”
Following criticism of her comments, the singer apologised for what may have been “hurtful to many of you”, and said she would “completely bow out of this conversation within the public domain”.
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— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) August 29, 2023
Since her remarks, BBC's 6 Music radio station pulled five hours of archive interviews and highlights from Ms Murphy's live shows that had been due to air on September 26 following the release of her new album Hit Parade, but these have been replaced by a selection of material featuring rapper Little Simz.
The schedule change prompted questions on social media, including one from former BBC presenter Andrew Neil.
Can BBC Verify or the @bbcpress verify or deny that singer Roisin Murphy has been cancelled by the BBC after criticising puberty blockers?
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) September 13, 2023
Five hours of Ms Murphy's songs, interviews and highlights of her concerts were put together for a programme called the 6 Music Artist…
Responding to the row, a BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “The Artist Collections from our archive are regularly on rotation and frequently change to reflect station-wide initiatives as they get confirmed. Little Simz was scheduled to reflect 6 Music’s Way With Words programming, which celebrates poetry, rap and spoken word, and airs the following week, tying in with National Poetry Day.
“There was no other reason for the change. Roisin Murphy has been played on 6 Music recently and her Artist Collection remains in rotation.”
Murphy began her career with producer Mark Brydon as the electronic duo Moloko.
They were known for The Time Is Now, a remix of Sing It Back and Familiar Feeling, before Murphy moved into solo work.
In 2015, Murphy was nominated for a Mercury Prize for album Hairless Toys which features the songs Gone Fishing, Evil Eyes, and Unputdownable.
