They claimed the BBC conducted a sham recruitment exercise after they lost their jobs due to the merger of domestic and global news last year.

In their witness statements, the women, aged between 48 and 54, alleged discrimination based on their sex, age, and union membership.

Four women accused the BBC of victimizing them and causing health issues, reputation damage, and job loss after bringing claims.

The BBC denies these allegations.

The women allege that the recruitment process for chief presenters on the new BBC News channel in January 2023 was rigged against them, and they were set up to fail.

They claim that evidence from a whistleblower will show this.

The women also stated that Jess Brammar, the BBC's then editor of news channels, privately assured some other chief presenters their jobs were safe but couldn't make similar assurances to them.

The women further stated that some of them were demoted, while others faced pay cuts.

Two women, Croxall and McVeigh, filed a legal claim against the BBC, stating that they had experienced negative physical and mental health impacts due to unequal treatment by the broadcaster.

They had previously settled an equal pay dispute in 2014 and pursued another one in 2020.

The women added that no younger men or women had suffered similar detriments.

Clinical psychologists' reports supported their claims.