The BBC director-general has said the corporation has ‘lessons to learn’ after the ‘shocking’ Jermaine Jenas, Huw Edwards and Strictly scandals in a grovelling letter to staff.
Tim Davie said that changing the culture at the broadcaster would be a ‘critical priority’ – as he admitted ‘we have all felt let down’.
He told staff that he wanted to ‘acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC’, in an email sent yesterday.
It comes after the corporation faced a string of scandals featuring top celebs, with Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas being sacked last week for sending inappropriate messages to two female members of staff.
A probe is currently ongoing into Strictly Come Dancing, following allegations of dancer Giovanni Pernice being abusive by contestant Amanda Abbington – something he denies.
And just last month disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to to having indecent images of children as young as seven after being sent them on WhatsApp.
He wrote: ‘Aside from the challenges of delivering such brilliant output, I want to acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC and everyone who works within it.
Tim Davie said that changing the culture at the broadcaster would be a ‘critical priority’ – as he admitted ‘we have all felt let down’
It comes after the corporation faced a string of scandals featuring top celebs, with Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas being sacked last week for sending inappropriate messages to two female members of staff
A probe is currently ongoing into Strictly Come Dancing, following allegations of dancer Giovanni Pernice being abusive by contestant Amanda Abbington – something he denies
Just last month disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to to having indecent images of children as young as seven after being sent them on WhatsApp
‘The shocking news about Huw Edwards and other stories, concerning some of our high profile shows, have put the BBC in the spotlight.
‘It can be challenging for us all when the BBC becomes the headline. We work for this wonderful organisation because we care about what it stands for and the role it plays in society’
The director-general said that workers now have to hold themselves to the highest standards – thanking them for supporting the BBC as they ‘navigated a tough situation’.
He said that there are ‘lessons we can learn’ from the slew of scandals that have hit the broadcaster, pledging to ‘build trust’.
He added that he will continue to oversee plans to grow the organisation for the future.
Mr Davie continued: ‘I know we have all felt let down and worried about the impact on the BBC.
‘However, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and we know there will be lessons we can learn to ensure we have the strongest possible workplace culture.
‘I very much welcome the proposed actions that the Chair outlined in his recent email, and I want to thank everyone for their calm support as we have navigated a tough situation.
Jenas, 41, was let go from his presenting roles on The One Show and Match Of The Day after junior staffers raised concerns over his behaviour
Strictly bosses have also been forced to take ‘decisive steps’ to improve the show’s protection for celebrities after allegations of abuse were made by contestants including actress Amanda Abbington and former reality TV star Zara McDermott
In a further storm for the broadcaster at the end of last month, disgraced BBC anchorman Huw Edwards pleaded guilty earlier this week to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine
‘Our aim should be to act fairly, in line with our Values, and work to build trust.
‘Personally, on my watch, building a positive culture and making the BBC a great place to work is a critical priority.
‘I know that many people are proud of their teams and feel they are working in a supportive and positive environment. We must make that universal.’
The message comes shortly after Jenas, 41, was let go from his presenting roles on The One Show and Match Of The Day after junior staffers raised concerns over his behaviour.
His last BBC appearance was on The One Show with Alex Jones on July 22 and his last Match of the Day showing was on May 4 – but he was part of the broadcaster’s Euros coverage.
The former England midfielder previously told his former female colleagues he is ‘genuinely sorry’ for sending inappropriate messages – issuing a direct apology after being allegedly told not to contact the two women due to ‘legal process’.
He said he sent ‘inappropriate messages’ but insisted they were ‘between two consenting adults’ and that his behaviour was not illegal.
Jenas also revealed that he has a ‘self-destructive streak’ with his relationships and he is receiving therapy.
BBC bosses were forced to take ‘decisive steps’ to improve the show’s protection for celebrities after allegations of abuse were made by contestants including actress Amanda Abbington and former reality TV star Zara McDermott (pictured)
Jenas is pictured on his last episode of the One Show in July 22 of this year alongside Alex Jones
But he also criticised how his former employer handled his sacking and has said he will be speaking to his lawyers about the situation.
Strictly bosses have also been forced to take ‘decisive steps’ to improve the show’s protection for celebrities after allegations of abuse were made by contestants including actress Amanda Abbington and former reality TV star Zara McDermott.
Pernice, Strictly’s longest-serving male pro, was accused of bullying by Abbington in rehearsals last year and a BBC investigation is still ongoing. The 33-year-old Sicilian has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Former pro Graziano Di Prima, 30, was also axed from the show in July over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during last year’s series.
Strictly production staff raised concerns about Graziano’s conduct last year, but bosses only went as far as to issue quiet warnings to him.
It was not until staff got hold of a video allegedly showing Graziano repeatedly hitting Ms McDermott – nine months after their initial complaint – that he was fired. Graziano later confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.
In a further storm for the broadcaster at the end of last month, disgraced Huw Edwards pleaded guilty earlier this week to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine.
The BBC admitted it knew the anchorman – who presented the Queen’s funeral – had been arrested on ‘suspicion of serious offences’ last November, but kept paying his £479,000-a-year salary until he resigned in April.
Huw Edwards is yet another BBC star to be disgraced after he admitted three counts of making indecent pictures of children between 2020 and 2022
Alex Williams (pictured) was snared by Welsh police – who later discovered he had sent Edwards a series of indecent images of children
The News at Ten reader, whose glittering four-decade career is now in tatters, is said to have kept his arrest ‘secret’ from his friends, a former colleague told the Mail.
Edwards received seven category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by paedophile Alex Williams. He had a total of 41 foul pictures, showing youngsters between the age of seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday.
Quizzed on how much he knew about the newsreader’s crimes earlier this week, Mr Davie admitted that he knew he had been arrested over the most serious category of child porn images – yet continued to pay the paedophile presenter more than £200,000 until he resigned.
In a bombshell interview with BBC News, the director general said: ‘We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences.’
When the ex-anchorman’s charges were made public this week, Mr Davie said: ‘We were very shocked. No one knew about the specifics of what we heard over the last few days, which have been deeply disturbing.’
The director general also reiterated that the BBC did not reveal that star’s arrest at the request of the police, adding that the Beeb also had to consider its duty of care to Edwards.
‘When it comes to the decision we made in November, we were obviously faced with a difficult decision, and we considered it very carefully,’ Mr Davie said.
‘The police came to us and gave us information that they had arrested Mr Edwards. But they wanted to be assured of total confidence, and the reason they rung us at that point, it’s a technical process to ensure employees are protected and there’s no risk.’
Edwards received seven category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by paedophile Alex Williams
He added: ‘Another factor at this point was very significant duty of care considerations. I think it was right for us to say we’d let the police do their business, and then when charges happen, we will act.’
Addressing whether Edwards would still receive his pension, he said it was ‘very difficult to claw back, nigh on impossible’, adding: ‘These are unfortunately the specifics of how it works.
‘When it comes to pay, again, [it’s] legally challenging [to recover], but we’ll look at all options.’
Mr Davie was also quizzed about the BBC’s own investigation into Edwards, which has not been published.
He said the BBC was ‘not sitting on anything that I think we need to share with the police, or is of a serious nature that would make me feel that we hadn’t followed up properly’.
He continued: ‘I can categorically say that when it comes to the offences we’ve seen, which are truly horrendous, any evidence that is out there is not in the hands of the BBC. If I saw evidence of that, that is not a complicated decision [to hand it over].’
This is a breaking story, more to follow.