BBC director general Tim Davie has warned there ‘may be more things’ coming out after a series of scandals from the broadcaster in recent years.
He told MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee ‘we may see more things coming out’ after being asked for assurance there will not be another ‘scandal of BBC talent abusing their position’.
He told the committee: ‘I think things have changed since we last talked to the committee, we are seeing people call it out, and that is a positive change, but it’s ongoing work.
‘I don’t think you can change culture in six months and suddenly say nothing’s going to occur.
‘We may see more things coming out, because in some ways I’m asking for it, and being utterly transparent and running towards the problem, that’s what we need to do.’
During the sitting he is also due to face questions on the BBC’s Gaza documentary, Glastonbury coverage and Gregg Wallace investigation.
Tim Davie would not be drawn on questions on if there were currently further scandals about workplace behaviour and abuses of power brewing.
He said he would not be offering a ‘running commentary’ on whistleblowing, adding: ‘I don’t think it’s right for me to talk about the specifics of what the whistleblowing team are dealing with day to day.’
This comes after a number of scandals have emerged from the broadcaster in recent years, including serious allegations against their former top news presenter Huw Edwards, accusations levelled towards Strictly Come Dancing professionals, and the recent MasterChef controversy surrounding TV chefWallace.
Discussing the changes that have been made to how abuses of power are dealt with, Davie told MPs: ‘There are consequences, we are not mucking around now.
‘You have to be clear and you have to be fair, but if you’re not living the values, it is clear you leave the BBC or there are consequences.
‘You can see that among public figures, but that is happening internally as well.
‘It is not overwhelming, as the report says, we do not have a toxic culture.’
On MasterChef, Davie said the ‘vast majority’ of chefs on the show wanted its latest series to air after it was shot before Christmas.
The 58-year-old was asked about one of the participants on the current series who wanted to be edited out and called for the show not to be aired amid complaints and allegations about former MasterChef presenter Wallace, and asked what message he was sending out by airing the series.
Davie replied: ‘We talked to all of them, we were very sensitive about it, the team said, “do you want to air it? Is there any other concerns you want to raise?”, and the vast, vast majority wanted it aired, so you did have that balance.
‘I think the consequences for the individuals who presented MasterChef have been very significant, they’re no longer working with the BBC, so there are those consequences.
‘The other thing in my mind is people can choose to watch it or not, so there’s an element of trust in the audience.
‘In our research, overall, people supported the decision, but I don’t think it was an easy decision, I absolutely respect that view. I think it was on judgment the right thing to do, but I understand that you could see both sides of the argument very clearly.’
This week Grace Dent and Anna Haugh were announced as replacements for former judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace after they were axed from the long-running series earlier this year.
Filming for the next series – which will be the first in two decades not helmed by Wallace and Torode with the new all-female presenting lineup – is scheduled to begin imminently.
Wallace, 60, was officially sacked after the bombshell Silkins review, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay UK, upheld 45 out of 83 allegations against him, including a case of ‘unwelcome physical contact’.
Torode, 59, has followed him on the way out after confirming that an allegation of racist language included in the report was against him, although he claims to have no recollection of the incident.
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