By Lucy Needham,Magdalene Dalziel

Copyright dailyrecord

The BBC has responded following Thomas Skinner’s explosive outburst at Elstree Studios yesterday. The former Apprentice contestant grabbed a journalist’s mobile and marched out of press duties when quizzed about the Strictly Come Dancing launch. His participation in the programme now remains uncertain – leaving executives with a major crisis as the launch show was being recorded tonight. In concerning developments for Skinner, the broadcaster informed the Mirror today: “The BBC is very clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected will not be tolerated on our programmes.” On Wednesday, the Essex bedding entrepreneur, known for his controversial social media presence, seized a journalist’s device during questioning and demanded they cease filming, reports the Mirror . Skinner objected to being recorded whilst speaking. He had turned up for interviews alongside fellow competitor, ex-footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was left conducting press duties alone. He was overheard asking: “What’s that? Are you taping it?”. The journalist replied: “We have to record it,” before she was heard questioning: “What are you doing?”. A voice was audible saying: “Just answer the question, we’ve got three minutes,” before the reporter stated: “No, no, no, don’t.” Thomas then declared: “That’s about me,” before the journalist responded: “No, it’s not.” When someone enquired ‘what made them run the question’, the reporter explained they were ‘just recording it’. Following several moments of unclear audio, another person exclaimed: “Oh my God, he’s gone.” An insider previously revealed about the shocking incident: “He walked to the table with his head down, he sat down, grabbed one of the reporters phones, who told him to stop. It was a shock. His reaction came out of nowhere.” Another source shared: “It was totally out of the blue. He was absolutely fine during the first interview. In good spirits and delighted and surprised to be there. Like a competition winner.” His behaviour is reported to have left event organisers seething and BBC chiefs in discussions over his future on the show. Just hours before the incident, Skinner informed his followers on X that he “can’t be bought” and “won’t say things just to keep people happy”. Meanwhile, fans have been airing their views on the situation. One fan posted on X: “This is what the BBC deserve because I for one am not surprised at all. Now drop the axe IMMEDIATELY. #Strictly. “Get rid of him man child #strictly,” another vented. “Well I can’t say I’m surprised should never had been part of the show to begin with hope he’s axed,” another viewer grumbled. Prior to Skinner’s antics, the BBC boss defended his inclusion in the family dance show while speaking at a hearing for the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Tim Davie was questioned as to why Skinner had been chosen for this year’s line-up. Tim stated: “That was not my decision. That was the production team looking for those people that they thought would … you’ve got two criteria; those people who want to do Strictly and those people they thought would be interesting to the audience.” He also addressed comments made by presenter Narinder Kaur, who had previously questioned the decision to cast Thomas. In her critique of the show, Narinder revealed that she had been deemed “too controversial” for Strictly herself. Join the Daily Record’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.