BBC Education Site Removes Content After 'Extreme Views' Accusations

The BBC has removed content from its education website, BBC Bitesize, after it was accused of promoting 'extreme views' on migration and Net Zero. The decision followed an investigation by The Mail on Sunday, which revealed that BBC Bitesize encouraged children to play an online game where they were rewarded for choosing 'open borders' and offering amnesty to illegal migrants.

Sources indicate that senior BBC executives ordered a review of the material after the revelations, leading to its removal from the Bitesize website early last week. The content has been replaced with a message stating: 'This content is currently under review. We occasionally review content to ensure that it remains up to date and in line with the curriculum.'

In addition to the migration-themed game, a page that highlighted progressive political figures, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, was also removed. The Mail on Sunday previously reported that the Bitesize website, which serves 1.7 million pupils weekly, suggested that concerns about migrants taking local jobs were 'prejudiced' and encouraged children to join Amnesty International.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, had written to BBC director-general Matt Brittin urging him to remove or suspend material that allegedly failed to meet the BBC's impartiality standards. Danny Cohen, a former controller of BBC television, criticized the content as 'blatant breaches of impartiality' and called for transparency from the BBC regarding how such material was permitted and what steps would be taken to prevent recurrence.

A BBC spokesman stated: 'We recognise the trust parents and teachers place in Bitesize. All content must be relevant for the audience and be compliant with the BBC's editorial guidelines and we are reviewing these examples in that context.'