Evan Davis: too many 'old blokes' on BBC Radio 4's Today programme The BBC's former director general George Entwistle, has admitted that executives were attempting to solve the issue of a lack of female presenters and were "thinking about this and trying to move in the right direction." But he warned the broadcaster cannot start "turfing out" respected male television presenters and replace them with female broadcasters without adequate reason. Within days of starting his role in September, he said it was important that the BBC did not "remedy one inequity by indulging in another." His predecessor, Mark Thompson, had faced criticism for failing to employ older women in high-profile presenting roles. There has also been controversy over female presenters" appearance, Fiona Bruce claimed she had to dye the grey out of her hair to read the news saying: "It's just the way it is." Mr Entwistle, who resigned after just 54 days in the job after BBC2's Newsnight wrongly implicated Lord McAlpine in a child abuse scan, also said the next presenter of Today should be female. Davis, a former BBC economics editor, is among five male presenters on Today, considered one of the broadcaster's flagship radio current affair programmes. It currently has the single female host, Sarah Montague, 46. Speaking at the 22nd Women in Film and Television awards, Davis, 50, admitted that executives on his high-profile show were working on changing the gender inequality. He said: "On my own programme ... we are acutely aware of our own shortcomings in this department, and we're acutely aware of our own shortcomings when it comes to broadening the mix of guests we have to make sure that we don't just go for the same old blokes. We're working on it, perhaps we're getting there, we're trying harder. It takes a bit of time. Davis, who became embroiled in a row this week with Chancellor George Osborne in a post-autumn statement interview, added: "Personally I'd like us to have a few more women on the Today programme. I don't know what it is about the industry, but let's face it, this is one where they (women) do flourish and it's great to recognise that. Figures show that fewer than one in five guests appearing on the Radio 4 show are women. Among the winners at the awards yesterday was Clare Balding, who collected "achievement of the year" in recognition for her Olympic and Paralympic coverage. The BBC sports presenter: "I think it's important for young girls who are, I hope, watching us and thinking 'that's a job I want to do' to know that warmth, humour, intelligence, doing your homework - that's what matters. I'm not getting this award because of what I look like, or my dress sense - we all know that.