A new report has stated that around two-dozen BBC employees found to have engaged in bullying, harassment or sexual harassment in the workplace have not faced disciplinary action.

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The revelation came from a request under the Freedom of Information Act made by Deadline, which uncovered that of 39 upheld or partially upheld complaints, only 13 saw disciplinary action taken as a result and one person was dismissed.

It found that, between March 2021 and March 2024, the BBC upheld five formal sexual harassment cases and partially upheld a sixth, but only one individual was fired for related reasons during this three-year period.

The FOI request follows recent results from a BBC staff survey, which suggested that only 58 per cent of employees believed that bullying and harassment complaints would be dealt with in an appropriate manner.

In response to the new report, a BBC spokesperson told RadioTimes.com: "We take all forms of bullying, harassment and misconduct incredibly seriously.

"We want the BBC to be a place where expectations on standards and behaviour are clear and where people feel confident in raising issues or concerns, if they do occur.

"That is why we launched the Workplace Culture Review, which will be published shortly."

RadioTimes.com understands that most cases of formal grievances may result in some action being taken irrespective of whether they progress to a disciplinary or not.

These could take the form of additional training, coaching or mediation, while punishments could include written warnings, redeployment or demotion as well as dismissal, in line with the BBC's disciplinary policy.

The report follows a tumultuous year for the BBC in which former newsreader Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

"There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected," the corporation's spokesperson said at the time of the court hearing in July 2024.

Meanwhile, popular entertainment programme Strictly Come Dancing was embroiled in controversy last year over accusations of misconduct by professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.

The BBC issued an apology to Amanda Abbington after an investigation into her claims against Pernice. As reported by BBC News, complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, but claims of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not.

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Meanwhile, Di Prima's spokesperson confirmed that the dancer kicked celebrity partner Zara McDermott in a practice session during the 2023 edition of the show, adding: "There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right. And he knows that. He knows he's made a mistake. He apologised at the time."

Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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