A production team that used to work on it Strictly Come Dancing complained about a toxic work culture and accused the BBC of failing to take their complaints seriously, in a fresh blow to the corporation’s prime-time show, the Observer can reveal.
One former staff member alleged they were subjected to comments about sex and sexuality, including intrusive questions about their sex lives, while another claimed they saw “talented colleagues treated with cruelty”.
The complaints from the workers cover many layers and go back as far as 2016. A third staff member, who worked on the show eight years ago, claimed that the workplace culture they experienced was “temporary , toxic, uncomfortable”.
A spokesperson for BBC Studios said: “Our team are busy working on every set of it Strictly It’s always really important to us. We act quickly when any concerns are raised, and we have thorough, effective and established processes to manage them.” They added: “We do not recognize the claims of a negative workplace culture.”
In recent weeks Strictly Come Dancing following allegations of behind-the-scenes misconduct that have now brought some professional dancers under scrutiny. Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left the show after facing allegations about their behavior behind the scenes.
Pernice strongly denied allegations of “threatening and abusive behaviour”. Di Prima admitted, through his spokesman, that he had kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during a rehearsal and said he “deeply regretted” the events that led to his departure. His spokesman added that it was “absolute rubbish” that one incident was typical as it happened during “weeks and weeks of training”.
Footage has also emerged from previous series showing other professional dancers shouting at their female dance partners.
Reverend Richard Coles, who took part in the show in 2017, said veteran Strictly A staff member added that the dance competition was “a great show with a dark heart”.
The director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, praised last week Strictly as “a great show that brings a lot of joy to many people and has been made for 20 years”.
But he added: “At the same time, if someone feels that something was wrong or they would talk about their experience, of course you want them to raise that with us. And don’t be in any doubt that we will take it seriously, we will listen and we will deal with it appropriately.”
So far, the focus has been on the dancers and their celebrity partners. But the Observer spoke to a number of former production staff who raised a series of concerns about the way they and some of their colleagues were treated, suggesting the issues went beyond rehearsals and the behavior of professional dancers.
A former member of staff, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had received inappropriate comments on the 2022 set from another, more senior member of staff. They allege that they were subjected to sexual and sexual comments, including intrusive questions about their sex lives that made them “uncomfortable” and overtly sexual comments about the female dancers. They claimed that the behavior “crossed a line”. The IS Observer he has seen contemporary WhatsApp messages that support their account.
When they checked the complaints procedure, staff said they were told to raise their concerns with the Film and Television Charity, which supports behind-the-scenes workers.
“It was very frustrating,” said the former teammate. “He left me without delay. It felt a bit blasé – giving the responsibility to a charity rather than the company that actually employs all these people.”
Document from 2022 to be seen at the Observer It shows that while BBC staff and fixed-term contract employees were directed to an external whistleblower hotline if they had concerns about the workplace environment, those on independent contracts were directed to “support through our partners at the Film and Television Charity, including whistleblower services” .
However, the charity said: “The charity is not for whistleblowing.”
BBC Studios said: “There is one whistleblower service across the BBC Group which is independent and run by a third party and is accessible to everyone – staff and freelancers alike. The Film and Television Charity’s support line details are given to everyone, not for whistle-blowing, but for further resource and support purposes.”
A member of the production team, who also wished to remain anonymous, claimed that the workplace culture they experienced on the show in 2016 was “tense, toxic, uncomfortable”. They added: “The difference between what you see on screen and what happens behind the scenes is huge.”
Another source, who has worked on multiple series of the show, highlighted issues with the programme’s leadership. “In recent years we have seen talented co-workers treated with cruelty, incompetence rewarded, and egos unchecked. Some demand full compliance, others are given full free rein,” they said.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the show destroyed. Most of the people who work on the team have put many years of heart and soul into their work, but unfortunately the current senior team has let us all down.”
In a statement, BBC Studios said: “Our team working on every series has benefited Strictly It’s always really important to us. We act quickly when any concerns are raised, and have thorough, effective and established processes to manage them.
“The show is a fast-paced live TV production environment that has attracted hundreds of people in the industry who have had a positive experience working on it, so we don’t recognize the claims of a negative workplace culture – or that there are flaws there. in our whistleblowing process.
“In 2022, we announced the introduction of our industry-leading initiative, The Pledge, to all our productions, including Strictlyproactively encourages anyone on our sets to raise concerns about inappropriate behavior through a number of channels, including anonymously to Navex Global, an external whistleblower service independent of the BBC and BBC Studios.”