The chairman of the BBC has admitted there are powerful individuals still making life ‘unbearable’ for colleagues after a slew of people were sacked from the corporation.
Samir Shah spoke out as MasterChef was plunged into crisis last night when it emerged presenter John Torode had an allegation of misconduct upheld.
And this evening it was announced he had been sacked from the show after a report into his co-host Gregg Wallace – who had 45 out of 83 complaints made upheld – found Mr Torode had used an ‘extremely offensive racist term’.
It came following the release of the corporation’s annual report which revealed former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker – who left his job in May after being accused of posting an ‘antisemitic trope’ on social media – topped the list for the eighth year running.
Speaking as the report was released, Mr Shah admitted there had been a ‘string of revelations’ about abuses of power at the BBC over the past year.
He said: ‘Our staff are dedicated, hardworking and treat each other with respect.
‘However, there are pockets in the organisation where this is not the case. There are still places where powerful individuals – on and off-screen – can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable.’
He added there had been dismissals following a review, which came out in April, but stopped short of identifying those who were sacked.
Samir Shah (pictured) spoke out as MasterChef was plunged into crisis last night when it emerged presenter John Torode had an allegation of misconduct upheld (file image)
This evening it was announced Mr Torode (left) had been sacked from the show after a report into his co-host Gregg Wallace (right) found he had used an ‘extremely offensive racist term’
In a statement this afternoon, the BBC said that it does not ‘tolerate racist language of any kind’ and that it takes the finding ‘extremely seriously’ (file image)
BBC director general Tim Davie insisted MasterChef ‘absolutely’ has a future but refused to back Mr Torode and made clear he ‘expects action to be taken’.
That action came to light this evening Banijay UK – the production company that makes MasterChef – said it had decided not to renew his contract.
In a statement this afternoon, the BBC said that it does not ‘tolerate racist language of any kind’ and that it takes the finding ‘extremely seriously’.
Mr Davie said: ‘The BBC, in some ways, we’re quite simple on this, which is if someone is found to not live up to the values, we expect the independent company, Banijay in this case, to take action and report back to us on what they have done.
‘These aren’t BBC employees, but we absolutely expect action to be taken.’
Last night Mr Torode said he was ‘shocked’ by the allegation and denied all wrongdoing.
The allegation is understood to have been upheld in a report as part of a review into the behaviour of Mr Torode’s former co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
It comes after Wallace hit out at the BBC as the probe upheld more than half of the complaints of inappropriate behaviour against him, with the presenter warning he ‘won’t be the last’ to be cancelled.
Mr Davie said: ‘The BBC, in some ways, we’re quite simple on this, which is if someone is found to not live up to the values, we expect the independent company, Banijay in this case, to take action and report back to us on what they have done’
The report into Wallace’s behaviour on the cooking show upheld 45 out of 83 complaints made
Wallace hit out at the BBC as the probe upheld more than half of the complaints of inappropriate behaviour against him, with the presenter warning he ‘won’t be the last’ to be cancelled
The report into Wallace’s behaviour on the cooking show upheld 45 out of 83 complaints made, including one count of ‘unwanted physical contact’, leaving the BBC to admit it ‘could and should have’ acted sooner on the MasterChef host.
A series of controversies have rocked the BBC in recent months in the aftermath of the Huw Edwards scandal.
Mr Davie said he was working to ‘transform our culture’ with the release of the BBC’s annual report.
He said: ‘This year brought major challenges in the form of the appalling Huw Edwards revelations along with further examples of truly unacceptable behaviours coming to light.
‘An independent review into the BBC’s workplace culture produced a series of recommendations which we accepted in full.
‘We have since rolled out a comprehensive set of actions which directly respond to the challenge of these findings and kicked off a two-year programme of work to deliver real change in our workplace culture.
Mr Davie confirmed there have been dismissals for bad behaviour since the action plan was launched in April.
However, these do not include TV chef Gregg Wallace, who has been banned from working at the BBC for inappropriate behaviour and comments, as he was not staff.
Mr Davie added he has a ‘vision’ of a BBC culture that is ‘kind, inclusive, safe and supportive…where everyone feels inspired and enabled to do their best work’.
Asked why he hasn’t resigned over recent scandals, he admitted mistakes had been made but said: ‘It’s certainly been a tough period, and there are some tough days, and this job is not one you take if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence.
‘I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way, and I say that on a number of fronts.
‘I think there are moments when you have to do tough things, deal with mistakes, and get through it because you want to maintain your standards.’
BBC chairman Samir Shah backed the director-general, saying he had shown ‘strong, confident and decisive leadership in a very, very challenging environment’.
