BBC boss Tim Davie has admitted TV stars have been allowed to get away with ‘certain behaviours’ in the wake of the recent Huw Edwards scandal.
The broadcaster’s director-general says it is a ‘constant work in progress’ when asked if their highly paid stars are ‘indulged and excused’.
The admission came on the back of ex-newsreader Edwards’ sentencing for child sex crimes in which he was sent 41 sick videos by convicted paedophile Alex Williams.
The 63-year-old walked out of Westminster magistrates’ court this week with his ‘life in tatters’ having been handed a suspended jail term.
Mr Davie told the BBC’s Amol Rajan during an interview at the Royal Television Society that the Edwards scandal would impact the corporation’s reputation but said they would not be removing footage of the former news anchor from its archive.
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BBC boss Tim Davie has admitted TV stars have got away with ‘certain behaviours’ in the wake of the recent Huw Edwards scandal
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The admission came on the back of ex-newsreader Edwards’ sentencing for child sex crimes in which he was sent 41 sick videos by convicted paedophile Alex Williams
The BBC has been hit with a raft of other scandals in the last year. The once touted future Match of the Day presenter Jermaine Jenas, 41, was sacked last month for sending ‘inappropriate messages’ to two female colleagues.
The married father-of-four later admitted it left him feeling ashamed.
While Strictly Come Dancing’s milestone 20th anniversary series has been marred by abuse claims.
Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
It came after actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her. Pernice denies the claims.
A BBC review into the claims is yet to be published with the show returning to television screens last Saturday.
Mr Davie was asked whether there was ‘one rule for famous people and one rule for young members of staff’, reported the Telegraph.
Although he insisted the corporation had ‘moved on enormously’ in the last three decades, he admitted: ‘There is still something about businesses where you’ve got these people… we often say that a person is creatively brilliant but it comes with certain behaviours.
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The once touted future Match of the Day presenter Jermaine Jenas , 41, was sacked last month for sending ‘inappropriate messages’ to two female colleagues.
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Actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit Strictly Come Dancing last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her. Pernice denies the claims
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Strictly’s Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott
‘One of the things I want to do in the next stage of this voyage as director-general – I really would love to be at a point where we really get beyond this. You use crisis to move yourself on.’
Pressed again on the perception that bad behaviour has been ‘indulged and excused’ he said: ‘It’s a constant work in progress.’
He said it was ‘not a difficult decision’ to say Edwards would never return to the BBC again having been convicted ‘of appalling crimes’.
‘The secret life this guy was leading – what we’ve seen is shocking,’ Mr Davie said, before adding: ‘There is no doubt that an affair like this impacts our reputation. We’re very mindful that people’s trust in the BBC is absolutely essential.’
Edwards’ BBC ex-colleagues were said to be disgusted by his crimes and believe he should have been sent to prison and forced to give back the £200,000 he was paid by their bosses after his arrest.
He was spared jail after admitting three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs of children, some as young as seven.
Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to Williams as a ‘thank you’ after he sent him the vile photos and videos, some of which he called ‘amazing’.
The disgraced broadcaster had also told the convicted paedophile ‘go on’ when asked if he wanted ‘naughty pics and vids’ of somebody described as young.
Edwards also wrote ‘yes xxx’ when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose ‘age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16’. He was also sent two pornographic videos of a child aged between seven and nine-years-old.
A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster Edwards was sentenced: ‘We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.’
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A mugshot released of the presenter by Scotland Yard showed him staring at the camera
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The former news anchor leaves court with his life and career in tatters
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Edwards held his hands together and steadied himself as Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, spared him jail
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Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being spared jail
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Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain’s most prominent newsreaders
One former colleague told MailOnline this week: ‘He should be in prison. He was chatting with a paedo for four years who then sent him child porn. And he didn’t go to the police. Yet he’s in court trying to suggest he is a victim. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so abhorrent’.
Another insider said that Edwards’ crimes were ‘so sick’.
Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the £200,000 salary he has received since his arrest.
He has so far refused. And will also keep his pension.
BBC staff have described being ‘warned’ about ‘thin-skinned’ Edwards when they started working there – and said that he should be put in prison for what he has done.
Culture and Media Editor Katie Razzall said that when she joined the corporation, she was given specific advice about how to handle the disgraced newsreader.
‘You can be funny’, they said. ‘But don’t be funnier than Huw’,’, adding: ‘You can be clever, but don’t be too clever’,’ Ms Razzall revealed.
The BBC recently announced it had commissioned an independent review into workplace culture after Edwards was charged with the offences.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: ‘We remain concerned about the potential for inappropriate workplace behaviour, particularly in creative and editorial environments.
‘Whilst challenges related to power imbalances in the workplace are a challenge for multiple employers, the BBC must hold itself to the highest standards.
‘The BBC has clearly articulated values and a strong code of conduct and there has been much progress in recent years.
‘That said, the Board will commission an independent review that will make recommendations on practical steps that could strengthen a workplace culture in line with BBC Values.
‘The review will include work already being undertaken within the BBC, as well as working with the rest of the industry as appropriate. We will set out terms of reference and leadership of this review in early September.
‘The review will report to the Board within months, and will be published.’
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Source: New York Post
