Junior members of staff working on Strictly Come Dancing have complained about a toxic culture that allegedly included “shouting, screaming and insulting to an extraordinary level” by its celebrities and professional dancers.
The show, which returns for its 20th anniversary edition on September 4, has become embroiled in controversy following allegations about the behaviour of its dancers towards celebrities including Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.
Now a number of production staff have told BBC News that they were also mistreated during their time on Strictly, after it spoke to 15 anonymous present and former workers.
The claims have been denied by BBC Studios, the production company responsible for the show.
One former runner, named as Oscar, said that he suffered “bullying behaviour” which left