BBC sport boss: 'We have some fantastic women presenters, including er... Gary Lineker BBC director of sport Barbara Slater makes blunder in Parliament She was giving evidence to MPs' inquiry on women in sport Co-hosts joke that father-of-four is in touch with his feminine side Labour MP Jim Sheridan said female presenters are all 'young, attractive' The BBC today boasted of its long roster of women sports presenters, headed by Gary Lineker. The blunder of including a man at the top of a list of female stars came as Corporation bosses insisted pundits were appointed on merit, and not their looks. MPs accused TV executives of only allowing "very young, attractive" women on screen, while male presenters tend to be middle-aged, fat and bald. Star: Match of the Day host Gary Lineker was named in a list of the BBC's top female presenters Senior figures from the BBC, Sky Sports News, BT Sport and Channel 4 were giving evidence on women's sport to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee. They faced accusations of "nauseating political correctness" for claiming they used female presenters to increase the number of women and girls watching. BBC director of sport Barbara Slater hit back insisting that female presenters were hired on merit, authority and credibility with a long track record of excellence in sports broadcasting. But she committed a gaffe when she named father-of-four Lineker as one of the BBC's "fantastic" female pundits. She told MPs: "We have some fantastic women presenters who have long-standing careers, genuine expertise and are there absolutely to enhance the credibility of what we do. We have Gary Lineker, we have Sue Barker, we have Gabby Logan, we have Clare Balding, we have Suzi Perry now doing Formula One, we have a new sports correspondent Natalie Pirks. They are there on merit. Spoof: Internet wags linked to this picture of Lineker dressed as Britney Spears in a Walkers advert as proof he is in touch with his feminine side Surprise: Lineker responded with 'yikes' after discovering he had been described as a 'fantastic women presenter' The slip-up at a hearing designed to promote the role of women in sport was quickly ridiculed online. Lineker himself tweeted "yikes" while new BBC Formula 1 presenter Suzi Perry joked: "Well you haven't seen Gary on a Friday night." Logan, a former international gymnast who presents a variety of shows, added: 'He's very in touch with his female side - it's what makes him so universally loved.' Other presenters hit back at the idea that broadcasters only use young women to lure in more viewers. Labour MP Jim Sheridan said those appearing on screen were young and attractive "with one or two exceptions." Jokes: Sports host Gabby Logan (left) said Lineker was in touch with his feminine side while BBC F1 presenter Suzi Perry joked that people should see him 'on a Friday night' Reaction: F1 presenter Suiz Perry was among Lineker's colleagues to post jokes online about the gender gaffe Grilling the TV chiefs he said: "We very seldom see Clare Balding in the back pages but suddenly she's on the front pages today because she's lost some weight. There's a feeling out there that if you're over 30 in the sports pundit game then you're finished. He went on: "Is it coincidental that the vast majority of women presenters, pundits etc are all very young, attractive people, with one or two exceptions? If you look at their male counterparts they are all mature, fat, bald like the rest of us. Clare Balding presents sport on the BBC, Channel 4 and BT Sport But Logan, who has presented football, athletics and swimming for the BBC, wrote on Twitter: "We are all over 40 on BBC Sport." Head of BT Sport Simon Green said having female presenters and pundits "makes for a richer viewing experience" and "often does make a difference in terms of how an audience will react." Andy Cairns, executive editor of Sky Sports News, said: "Women make up 30 per cent of our audience and they go to football matches, they go to cricket matches, they play sport. It's quite right that they are reflected in our presenter line-up. Our presenters are all experienced, qualified journalists and they are there on merit. But Tory MP Philip Davies said there was no proof that using female presenters helped to boost the number of women watching and taking part in sport. He said: "It's a masterclass in politically-correct, tokenistic, tick-boxing competition. To be perfectly honest, it's rather nauseating. You have got absolutely no idea whether it makes any difference to whether more women watch the programme, you've got no idea whether it increases the audience for sport more generally. You are simply doing it for one reason only: to be able to come here and say we've managed to tick this box.