The Strictly scandal has taken a new turn amid claims former staff members faced “cruelty”.
The BBC show, which is expected to return in September, has been at the centre of controversy recently. It comes amid an investigation into the show’s pro dancers’ conduct behind the scenes.
Italian pro dancer Giovanni Pernice has denied “any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour”. It follows allegations of ‘bullying’ from his 2023 celeb partner Amanda Abbington. His 2016 dance partner Laura Whitmore also recently spoke out about her experience of alleged “inappropriate behaviour”.
Meanwhile, fellow pro Graziano Di Prima recently exited the show. It comes after allegations he hit, kick and spat at his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott.
Strictly scandal latest
Now, the Observer claims that production staff who formerly worked at Strictly have complained of a toxic work culture.
The publication reports that one former staff member alleged they had faced sexist and sexualised comments. These reportedly included questions about their sex life.
Meanwhile, another person claimed they witnessed “talented co-workers treated with cruelty”.
According to the report, the complaints go back as far as 2016. A third staff member claimed the workplace culture they experienced was “tense, toxic and uncomfortable”.
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A former staff member claimed they experienced inappropriate comments on set in 2022 from another, more senior member of staff.
It’s alleged they faced questions about their sex life which made them feel “uncomfortable”. The staff member claimed the behaviour “crossed a line”.
The staff member said they were told to raise any concerns with the Film and TV Charity- which supports behind the scenes workers.
They told the Observer: “It was incredibly frustrating. It left me at a dead end. It felt a bit blasé – handing off the responsibility to a charity rather than the company that is actually employing all of these people.”
A member of the production team also alleged of the workplace culture: “The disparity between what you see on screen and what happens behind the scenes is enormous.”
Meanwhile, another source – who worked on multiple series of the show – said: “In recent years we’ve seen talented co-workers treated with cruelty, incompetence rewarded, and egos unchecked. Total compliance is demanded of some, absolute free rein given to others.
“It is heartbreaking to see the show tarnished. The majority of people who work on the team have put many years of heart and soul into their work, but sadly the current senior team have let us all down badly.”
The publication has seen a 2022 document which allegedly shows that while BBC staff were directed to an external whistleblowing hotline to raise concerns through, those on freelance contracts were directed to “support through our partners at the Film and TV Charity, including whistleblowing services”.
However, the charity said: “The charity is not for whistleblowing.”
BBC statement
The BBC has said: “The welfare of our crews working on each series of Strictly is always of paramount importance to us. We act speedily when any concerns are raised. We have thorough, effective, and longstanding processes to manage them.
“The show is a fast-paced live TV production environment that has attracted hundreds of people in the industry to work on who have had a positive experience. So we do not recognise the claims relating to a negative workplace culture. Or that there are flaws in our whistleblowing process.
“In 2022, we announced the introduction of our industry-leading initiative The Pledge on all our productions, including Strictly, which proactively encourages anyone on our sets to raise concerns of inappropriate behaviour via a number of avenues, including anonymously to Navex Global, an external whistleblowing service independent of the BBC and BBC Studios.”
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