BBC newsreaders Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera begin legal action against corporation

The women claim they lost positions they held at the BBC following a "sham recruitment exercise" when the corporation decided to merge its domestic and international news channels, but the BBC insists its application process was "rigorous and fair".

They claim age and sex discrimination and say they were paid less than a male peer, which the BBC denies.