The BBC has denied allegations of a toxic workplace at Strictly Come Dancing from former staff members.
The long-running celebrity dance contest has been embroiled in scandal and controversy in recent weeks, following reports of misconduct complaints against two professional dancers – Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima – who have both now left the show.
While an internal investigation is still ongoing, Graziano has said he “deeply regrets” the events that led to his departure. In his own statement, Giovanni said he “rejects any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour”.
The show is now facing fresh controversy following a report in The Observer in which ex-staff claim they faced “cruelty”, sexualised comments and a failure to take complaints seriously behind-the-scenes.
One former staff member, who worked on the show eight years ago, claimed they experienced a workplace culture that was “tense, toxic, uncomfortable”.
Another said they had experienced inappropriate comments on set in 2022 from a more senior, male member of staff.
They alleged that they were subjected to sexist comments and “uncomfortable” questions about their sex life.
Another former staff member said they were left at a “dead end” when trying to make an official complaint.
In a statement in response to the allegations, a BBC Studios spokesperson told the newspaper: “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, and 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.”
The new allegations come as the show continues its internal investigation following claims of misconduct by professional dancers.
Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott are among those who have spoken publicly about their negative experiences in the rehearsal room, with Laura Whitmore becoming the latest to speak up with her own claims last weekend.
The BBC’s director general Tim Davie this month issued an apologised publicly to any celebrity whose time on Strictly wasn’t a “wholly positive experience”.
The show has since announced new measures being implemented ahead of this year’s series, intended to “strengthen welfare and support”.