the times | Thursday November 25 2021 2GM 9
News
TIM CLIFTON/SWNSBBC drops race row
Vaughan from Ashes
at options including using Fox cameras
with a commentary team in London. It
is expected to discuss its options with
Cricket Australia officials today.
Vaughan was stood down this month
from the Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket
Show on BBC Radio 5 Live, to which he
contributed along with Phil Tufnell, the
former England spin bowler. He has
also been a regular summariser on Test
Match Special for the past decade.
The BBC said: “While he is involved
in a significant story, for editorial
reasons we do not believe that it would
be appropriate for Michael Vaughan to
have a role in our Ashes team or wider
coverage of the sport at the moment.
“We require our contributors to talk
about relevant topics and his involve-
ment in the Yorkshire story represents
a conflict of interests.”
The former batsman was named in
Yorkshire’s report into racism at the
county, prompted by allegations made
by their former player, Rafiq.
Vaughan used his column in The
Daily Telegraph earlier this month to
strenuously deny the allegation, saying
that the incident described “simply
never happened”.
He wrote on social media that he was
“very disappointed” not to be commen-
tating for Test Match Special and would
miss working with his colleagues.
A wide-ranging new investigation
into racism at Yorkshire is being led by
the England Cricket Board.
England’s Ashes prospects, page 72Elizabeth Ammon
Portrait of Freud as a ‘terrifying driver’
The artist Lucian Freud was so bad
behind the wheel that he got a gang’s
getaway driver to take his test for him
and would hit cars before speeding off,
his daughter has revealed.
Bella Freud, 60, the fashion designer,
told Jools and Jim’s Joyride podcast that
he “was the most terrifying driver” and
it was almost like the gang driver “had
imbued in him this style of driving”.
She said: “I think people often didn’t[take their own test] — in those days
they would just give someone 20 quid.”
She said her father, who died in 2011,
used to pretend to be a police officer. “I
remember driving down Portobello at
night with him and he would do some-
thing he said the police did or someone
had taught him which was to have the
lights off and then just flash them on.
“So, this thing would be zooming
down the road at top speed with thelights going on and off and then who-
ever was in the way would scatter.”
She added: “This art dealer told me
this story and said they were driving up
one of those narrow streets with those
bijou little houses in London. There
was a father taking his prams out of the
car and the door was open on to the
street. They just drove at top speed,
smashed the car door... which flew off
and they carried on.”Drop to drink A gymnastic blue tit takes water from a tap while on the wing at Millers Wood near Handcross in West SussexMichael Vaughan has been removed
from the BBC’s Test Match Special radio
coverage of the Ashes after allegations
that he used racially offensive language
during a county match in 2009.
BT Sport may also change its televi-
sion coverage plans for this winter’s se-
ries to avoid including him.
Vaughan, 47, a former England
captain, denies a claim that he directed
the phrase “there’s too many of you lot,
we need to do something about that”
towards Azeem Rafiq, Ajmal Shahzad,
Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
before a T20 game between Yorkshire
and Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The BBC’s decision has prompted BT
Sport, which has exclusive TV rights in
the UK, to review its plans.
Rather than use its own commentary
team, BT Sport had planned to use
commentary from the Australian host
broadcaster, Fox Sports. Vaughan has a
contract with Fox Sports, and the
broadcaster has confirmed that he will
be part of their coverage.
BT Sport is understood to be looking
Vaughan denies
making racially
offensive remarks