Female cricketer compared to 'Barbie' during cringe BBC interview

A BBC presenter has been subject to a backlash on social media after making a reference to a female cricketer’s appearance live on air.

Former Love Island contestant and TV host Chris Hughes was interviewing cricketer Maitlan Brown for the broadcaster when he called her a “little Barbie”.

Hughes was working as a reporter during limited-overs competition The Hundred when the awkward exchange took place.

He was speaking to Australian player Brown about her experiences as a member of the Southern Braves team during their match against the Trent Rockets.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The pair were discussing her time with her teammates when Brown said: “We watched Barbie the other night all together and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together.”

Hughes replied by saying: “You’re a little Barbie yourself, aren’t you, with your blue eyes.”

He then added: “She’s blushing now.”

The comments came in for criticism online, and a spokesperson for the BBC said: “We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate.”

Others reacted to the comments online, calling out the inappropriate moment.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.