http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5645419.ece

Carol Thatcher, the daughter of the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is facing a possible ban from the BBC after referring to a tennis player as “a golliwog”.

The BBC told The Times last night that it had held urgent talks with Thatcher, 55, and was seeking a formal apology before it agreed to allow her to reappear on the network as either a contributor or presenter.

The incident occurred on Thursday night after The One Show when Thatcher, a roving reporter on the programme, was in the green room with its presenter, Adrian Chiles, and other members of the production team.

During a conversation about the Australian Open tennis tournament Thatcher used the word “golliwog” in what is understood to have been a reference to a player in the men’s competition.

A BBC insider said that Chiles, who also presents sports programmes, was “very shocked” by the remark and that others in the room told Thatcher that they considered her language offensive.

A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC considers any language of a racist nature wholly unacceptable. We have raised the issue with the individual concerned and are discussing it as a matter of urgency.”

Her spokesman added: “Carol never intended any racist comment. She made a light aside about this tennis player and his similarity to the golliwog on the jampot when she was growing up. There’s no way, obviously, that she would condone any racist comment – we would refute that entirely. It would not be in her nature to do anything like that.”

Her spokesman added: “This was a conversation between Adrian and Carol in the green room and the comment was meant as a joke. It is disgusting that we’ve had a leak of private conversations in the green room – the BBC has more leaks than Thames Water.