BBC's director of diversity, Tunde Ogungbesan launches a major reform to make the BBC more 'trans-friendly'

The BBC has more than 400 transgender staff, a confidential internal survey has revealed.

The figure represents more than one in 50 of the workforce – about four times higher than the proportion in the population at large. And it stunned the BBC executive behind the research, who described the total number of trans employees, at 417, as 'very, very high'.

Tunde Ogungbesan, the BBC's director of diversity, has now launched a major reform to make the Corporation more 'trans-friendly' following the findings. The issue of trans rights has divided Britain, with a split between traditionalists who believe gender is assigned at birth and progressives who believe a liberal society should make strides against any form of discrimination towards trans people.

Using personal information about BBC staff that 'only a couple of people would ever know', Mr Ogungbesan also revealed that 11 per cent of BBC employees were lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. But he said he did not regard the BBC as diverse enough, claiming more lesbians were needed.

Of the Corporation's 21,239 staff, almost a quarter declined to reveal their orientation. Of the remainder 2.2 per cent said they were bisexual, 4.8 per cent were gay men and 1.3 per cent lesbian. Of the whole UK, 2 per cent of people say they are lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to official figures from 2016.