OH NO DANNY BOY
Why was Danny Baker fired by the BBC and what was his ‘racist’ tweet about the royal baby?
DANNY Baker has been fired by the BBC over a "racist" royal baby tweet after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry showed off their new son Archie to the world.
But what was the Radio 5 Live presenter's tweet, and what was his defence? Here's what we know.
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Who is Danny Baker?
Danny hosted a BBC Radio 5 Live show, until he was fired by the Beeb on May 9, 2019.
The 61-year-old is a comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter.
He previously worked for NME, LWT and Talk Radio.
The host even had his own TV show called The Danny Baker Show on the BBC in the 90s.
He also makes a podcast with former footballer called "Lineker and Baker: Behind Closed Doors".
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Why did he get fired by the BBC?
was axed from the Beeb on the morning of Thursday, May 9, 2019, after posting a "racist" tweet about the new .
He posted a picture showing a monkey on May 8, 2019.
The BBC Radio 5 Live host was slammed for the post, which he tweeted just hours after and showed off little Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
A BBC spokesperson told the Sun Online: “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.”
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What was his 'racist' tweet about the royal baby?
The tweet showed a picture of a couple clinging on to a monkey wearing a suit with the caption: "Royal baby leaves hospital".
He immediately received backlash from users branding the post "racist" due to Meghan's heritage - the Duchess of Sussex's estranged dad is white and mother is black.
He deleted the post and apologised, claiming it was a joke with no "connotations" and on May 9 spoke out again to say it was a "gag" about the baby being "posh".
Baker tweeted again to say: "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."
He added: "And now it's started raining. Perfect."
His tweets came after Meghan and Harry proudly showed off their first born child to the world two days after he was born on May 6, 2019.
What have the police said?
Cops are probing a complaint over Danny Baker’s royal baby tweet.
Scotland Yard said: “An allegation has been received in relation to a tweet published on May 8.
"As is routine, the allegation will be reviewed and assessed by specialist officers.”
Baker, 61, called the incident “one of the worst days of my life” and admitted the tweet could be seen as “racism at its basest”.
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What were Danny Baker's previous controversies?
This isn't the first time the presenter has faced controversy - he was sacked from BBC 5 Live in 1997 when station bosses alleged he had incited threatening behaviour in an outburst over a referee.
When Chelsea beat Leicester City in the FA Cup tie that year he reportedly launched an attack on Mike Reed, the man who awarded the penalty that clinched it.
MORE ON DANNY BAKER
And in 2012 he attacked the BBC on Twitter and on air after his show was cancelled.
BBC 5 Live controller Jonathan Wall emailed staff at the station informing them of his decision to fire Baker.
He stated Baker's tweet went against the values that the station "lives and breathes" before praising him for his "brilliant" work.
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