Ben Fogle threatens legal action after BBC presenter claims he doesn't love Staffordshire bull terriers

A Radio 5 Live presenter told a story about a man calling Staffies a dangerous breed, claiming it was Fogle

The presenter is the host of Britain’s Top 100 Dogs on ITV (AFP/Getty)

Ben Fogle has threatened legal action after a BBC presenter claimed he made derogatory statements about Staffordshire bull terriers.

BBC 5 Live host Nihal Arthanayake relayed an unpleasant encounter his wife had with a man in a local park, who warned his child not to go near her dog because Staffies are a dangerous breed.

The presenter then claimed that the man in question was Fogle. He, in turn, has called it an “untrue and libellous accusation” and insisted he has never been to the park in question, according to The Telegraph.

The claim is a potentially contentious issue for Fogle as he is the host of Britain’s Top 100 Dogs on ITV.

On his 5 Live afternoon show, Arthanayake complained that owners of Staffies are often treated as if they’re walking with “a sawn-off shotgun on a lead”.

“There is a very well-known TV presenter who was once quite rude about my Staffie in public,” he said. “I’m not going to give his name ... my wife was in Queen’s Park [in northwest London] with our kids and our Staffie and this fella, he has his kid, goes up to his kid and says, ‘Don’t go up to that dog, they’re nasty dogs, they’re dangerous dogs’.

“My wife is there with our kids with that dog! And he says it so loudly that she can hear him saying it. And from that day on I’ve just been like, nah, that guy’s a wrong’un. So I’m not going to tell you it was Ben Fogle but the guy is an absolute wrong’un.”

Tweeting at both 5 Live and Arthanayake, Fogle wrote: “Why did you broadcast an unsubstantiated, untrue story about me without even asking? I have never ever been to Queen’s Park. I LOVE Staffies and grew up surrounded by them in my father’s veterinary surgery. Not cool. And @bbc5live you will be hearing from my lawyers. You can send any compensation to Staffie rescue centres.”

Arthanayake responded, asking if Fogle was calling his wife a liar, to which Fogle replied: “She must be.” He further pointed out that the story, which supposedly took place nine years ago, didn’t make sense: he could not have told his child not to approach a dog nine years ago because “my son was two months old and my daughter was still two years from being born”.

The BBC has now removed the segment from the podcast version of the show. Arthanayake then made a statement on air, in which he said: “Ben says he has never been to the park in question, and that it must be a case of mistaken identity. He wants us to make clear that he loves Staffies and that he and his family have spent a lot of time with them.”