People are saying this is the most BBC thing they’ve ever seen

The BBC’s China editor Carrie Gracie has resigned with an explosive open letter in which she accused the corporation of a ‘crisis of trust’ over the different salaries it pays men and women.

But Gracie’s not actually leaving the BBC – she will return as a presenter on the BBC News channel and was one of the hosts of Radio 4’s Today programme today.

Which led to this slightly unusual situation which was peak W1A and the most BBC thing people have ever seen.

This is one of the most BBC things I've ever seen pic.twitter.com/ZeZ5LX9McW

— Alan White (@aljwhite) January 8, 2018

But it turns out it’s a bit more complicated than that.

FYI @BBCCarrie who can't talk about @BBCCarrie on #r4today can talk about @BBCCarrie on @BBCWomansHour at 10am. Hope that's clear

— Jane Garvey (@janegarvey1) January 8, 2018

Got that? Except some people thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

It's completely absurd that John Humphrys gets to conduct an interview about equal pay, when his salary is at the heart of it, while the woman who *is* the story must sit in silence next to him because "impartiality rules".

— Matt Wells (@MatthewWells) January 8, 2018

To recap…

BBC rules mean that Carrie Gracie can't discuss Carrie Grace if Carrie Gracie is presenting the programme discussing Carrie Gracie. So she is sitting in silence while Mariella Frostrup talks about Carrie Gracie on the Today programme

— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) January 8, 2018

Here’s the statement being circulated by BBC supporters of Carrie Grace.

#bbcwomen on @BBCCarrie pic.twitter.com/JdKo1wzWV2

— charlotte smith (@charlottebsmith) January 8, 2018

Spare a thought for the Daily Mail at this difficult time.