Sam Mason's taxi comments weren't racist - your say
We asked: Was BBC Radio Bristol presenter Sam Mason racist in the comments she made to a local taxi firm?
Almost 1,500 people voted online on this website, and a further 800 people voted using text messages.
Overall, nearly three quarters of readers who voted on This is Bristol said Sam Mason's comments were not racist – with 73 per cent voting no, and 27 per cent yes.
And of those who voted by text, 82 per cent said the comments were not racist, with 18 per cent claiming they were.
Miss Mason said she was devastated to have been sacked by BBC Radio Bristol following an off-air conversation with Bristol cab firm Streamline Black and White, which was covertly recorded.
In it, she asked for a taxi to take her 14-year-old daughter from her Clifton home to her grandparents' house to be driven by an English person, preferably a woman.
An operator at the taxi firm accused her of being racist for not wanting an Asian driver and Miss Mason was heard to say that a driver wearing a turban would "freak out" her daughter.
The woman who recorded the call passed it on to The Sun.
After details of the conversation came to light, Miss Mason was dismissed by the BBC and Streamline sacked the employee who recorded her call.
Miss Mason told the Bristol Evening Post that she was not racist and her only concern was for her daughter.
She said colleagues and listeners had been very supportive.
Miss Mason is now in talks with solicitors over the matter.
Although it is not against the law to record conversations for personal and some business uses, it is illegal to share the recording with a third party without the consent of the person being recorded.
The BBC described Miss Mason's comments as "completely unacceptable".
The row has divided opinion but one of Sam's most staunch supporters is TV presenter Sherrie Eugene who is Godmother to Sam's daughter and has known her for years.
She says Sam is not a racist and had a "stupid moment".
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