The BBC has suspended a radio DJ who said breastfeeding in public was “unnatural” and “must be stopped” after complaints from listeners and the launch of a petition calling for him to be sacked.
Radio Solent DJ Alex Dyke said during a phone-in on his Wednesday morning show that only “librarian-type, moustachioed” women breastfed in public and men who were not repelled by breastfeeding were “wimps”.
He also said “yummie mummies” wouldn’t feed their children in public because they “know it is not a good look” and “formula milk is just as good”. Offical NHS guidance recommends breastfeeding for a child’s first six months and says it is the healthiest way to feed a baby.
Defending comments about a mother breastfeeding her child on a bus to one of his callers, Dyke said: “My point was fat chavvy mums with their boobs out on buses isn’t a good look. A classy discreet mum is absolutely fine.”
He also said: “It was ok in the stone age when we knew no better, when people didn’t have their own teeth … but now I just think a public area is not the place for it and fellas don’t like it.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “Following unacceptable comments made on air yesterday, Alex Dyke has been suspended pending an investigation, so he will not be on air tomorrow.”
It is unclear whether Dyke will return to the show, which is broadcast to parts of Hampshire and Dorset.
On Thursday afternoon, a petition started under the name Maisie Jameson calling for Dyke to be taken off air had passed 6,000 signatures.
Jameson wrote: “There is already a stigma around breastfeeding, and we don’t need ill-educated misogynists like Alex Dyke to make it even more apparent. In fact he was right. We’re not in the Stone Age anymore – we’re in the 21st century. Breastfeeding is completely natural, and people must remember that breasts are for feeding – not for men.”
Rosemary Dodds, senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust, said: “We’re disappointed about these outdated, ridiculous and potentially damaging comments. No mother should ever be made to feel guilty, judged or ashamed about feeding their baby, whether by breast or bottle.
“Mums feel under enough pressure already about their feeding decisions and they should be fully supported and certainly not looked down on or criticised for simply feeding their child in whichever way they want, in public or in private.
“The Equality Act, which became law in 2010, states that mothers cannot be discriminated against, asked to leave a venue or treated unfavourably because they are breastfeeding when out and about in Britain. This is something we campaigned for over a number of years as mums should be able to feed their babies whenever and wherever they need to.”
The Telegraph reported that Dyke’s show had received hundreds of comments on social media and on parenting forums.
Regulator Ofcom said it had received 14 complaints and had requested a recording of the show to assess whether to investigate. The BBC declined to say how many complaints it had received, citing a policy to withhold numbers when it suspects “lobbying or media coverage” has encouraged people to complain.
During his Thursday morning show, Dyke issued an apology. “Yesterday on the show I spoke about breastfeeding,” he said. “The comments I made during the broadcast were unacceptable and I would like to apologise for any offence caused.”
Prior to confirming the suspension, the BBC had said Dyke had been told told his comments were not appropriate and that episode of the show had been removed from iPlayer because it was “unacceptable”.
The BBC only removes content from iPlayer in “exceptional circumstances”, including when its editorial guidelines are breached.
The row over Dyke’s comments comes little more than six months after another local radio DJ, Radio Norfolk’s Nick Conrad, was criticised for saying women should “keep their knickers on” during a discussion on convicted rapist Ched Evans. In May, Ofcom said it would not be taking action against Conrad or the BBC over the comments.
