Comment: Matthew Syed | Rise and fall of the Golliwog | A writer's tale: when the name was used on me

Carol Thatcher repeatedly described a black tennis player as a golliwog, despite being challenged by those gathered after the filming of a BBC show, sources said last night.

As the BBC announced that it had received more than 2,200 complaints about its decision to sack Thatcher as a contributor to The One Show, it was alleged that she had also used the terms “golliwog frog” and “halfgolliwog” to refer to the player, who is of French-African origin.

The former Prime Minister’s daughter was dropped as a roving reporter for the BBC’s early-evening programme after The Times disclosed that she had caused consternation by using the word “golliwog” at the informal get-together, a week yesterday.

Thatcher’s spokeswoman has said that she used the word as a joke in what she saw as a private conversation, and offered a “fulsome apology” when challenged by the corporation.

Last night, however, sources said that the journalist, who is understood to be leaving the country today for a month-long speaking tour, repeatedly referred to the player as a golliwog. It is claimed that at the gathering of 12 people in the green room, Thatcher, along with Adrian Chiles, the show’s host, and Jo Brand, who had appeared as a guest, talked about the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Thatcher, who had been drinking, her spokeswoman admitted, is alleged to have referred to “the golliwog frog”, thought to be a reference to the French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has a white French mother and a black Congolese father.

As some rolled their eyes and others challenged Thatcher about her use of the word, she is said to have responded, “well, he’s half-golliwog”, prompting Brand to leave the room in disgust. It is understood that Thatcher then said: “Now I’m in trouble, just like Prince Harry.” The prince apologised after referring to an Asian colleague as “our little Paki friend” on a video.

Baroness Thatcher is understood to be upset. A friend is reported as telling The Daily Telegraph: “Lady Thatcher feels sad for Carol, who has been hurt by all the accusations. But she thinks the whole row is a load of nonsense.”

On BBC2’s Newsnight last night, Will Young, the pop singer, said the BBC panicked in axing Thatcher. “I don’t think it’s the right decision. I feel sorry for the BBC because there’s a culture of timidity,” he said.

The player’s mother, Evelyne Tsonga, said that her son was “deeply hurt and upset”. Mrs Tsonga, a teacher from Coulaines, near Le Mans, in France, said that her son was “absolutely astonished” by the attack.

A statement on The One Show website said that Thatcher’s language “caused instant offence”. It added: “Jo questioned Carol about it at the time but, contrary to some recent press reports, neither she nor Adrian contacted the press.” The BBC had faced a growing backlash over its stance, with Thatcher’s spokeswoman claiming that there was a vendetta against the journalist because of her mother.

Jay Hunt, controller of BBC One, said: “This is not her working in a private space and she was not in the pub with her friends. She was sitting in a BBC green room on BBC premises surrounded by a diverse production team on The One Show speaking to a BBC-booked guest, a BBC-booked celebrity and in the presence of a senior production worker from Comic Relief. In those circumstances she was effectively operating in a workplace.”

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