The biggest UK entertainment scandals of 2024

It’s been a tough year for men in the UK entertainment industry, especially former or current ones BBC employees.

Allegations of abuse, bullying and predatory behavior have come to light, with the widespread feeling being that there is still much work to be done to make people feel safe and valued in the industry.

In May this year, a Bectu survey was collected from over 200 people in the country’s creative industries to better understand the problem. Overall, 92 percent of those surveyed told Bectu that they had personally witnessed or experienced bullying or harassment based on their sex or gender in the workplace. Six in 10 respondents have experienced unwanted and/or inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing from co-workers.

The report into industry harassment concludes that high-profile complaints such as those against Russell Brand have “done little to change the situation” in Britain. A major presentation of The Times, the Sunday Times and Channel 4 dispatches published in 2023 included the testimonies of several women who accused the comedian and actor of sexual assault and rape in incidents that took place between 2006 and 2013. Brand has denied the allegations, but the fallout has also spread this year.

Below, The Hollywood Reporter lists the top entertainment scandals in the UK in 2024, from Chef controversy over behind-the-scenes bullying.

Strictly Come Dance professionals accused of abusive behavior

The show – which works on the same principle as that of the United States Dancing with the stars – is a staple of British television, but the channel unveiled new welfare measures in July after complaints were made against two dancers, including Giovanni Pernice, who left the group shortly after. Strictly.

At the end of September, the BBC concluded its review of the allegations and apologized to actress Amanda Abbington (Sherlock). She had accused Pernice of “nasty and abusive” behavior when they were partners on the beloved reality dance program.

Another dancer, Graziano Di Prima, also left the show when a statement on Instagram from reality star Zara McDermott, who Di Prima was cast as a dance partner on last year’s series, said watching videos of his time on the show was “incredibly painful.” Di Prima apologized and said he “deeply regrets” his actions. “My intense passion and determination to win may have affected my training schedule,” added the 30-year-old Italian.

Pernice, meanwhile, refuted the allegations against him, telling his supporters: “I’ll be back.” He won the Italian version of Strictly Monday.

The BBC said that although the production team “took steps to resolve the issues as they understood them, ultimately this was not enough… Although competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want that the series is ultimately a joyful and transformative experience. It’s a shame if that wasn’t the case for everyone who appeared on the show.”

BBC Sport presenter sacked following allegations of inappropriate behavior

Former footballer Jermaine Jenas was one of BBC Sport’s favorite presenters, featuring on their flagship program Match of the day and even The only show.

Until August, when Jenas was removed from the list because reports suggested he had engaged in “inappropriate behavior.” BBC News said there were concerns about his “conduct in the workplace” and that complaints had been made against Jenas weeks before the news emerged.

Initially, a representative said on behalf of Jenas that there were “two sides to every story” and that he would “speak with lawyers” about the issue. However, it was later claimed the star was caught sending inappropriate text messages to a female colleague. Jenas then said The Sun that he was “ashamed” of these texts, which constituted a “huge error of judgment” for which he was “deeply sorry”. He added that he was “not a sexual pest”.

In a lengthy, sometimes tearful interview in front of the tabloid’s camera, Jenas said “nothing physical ever happened” but he considered what he did to be “cheating.” The father of four said he had let his family down.

News presenter Huw Edwards pleads guilty to child sex abuse images

In September, the former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards was handed over a six-month suspended prison sentence for two years after pleading guilty to creating indecent images of children.

In a case that shocked Britain, the presenter – who hosted the BBC’s flagship show News at ten program and led historic coverage for the corporation, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the 2012 London Olympics – said he was ‘deeply sorry’ for the ‘repugnant’ images before being sentenced by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. He was also ordered to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program. The suspended sentence means Edwards will only serve prison time if he reoffends within the next two years.

The former news presenter was arrested in November 2023 and charged in July this year after receiving 41 indecent images of children sent by another man, a convicted pedophile, on WhatsApp. The offenses allegedly took place between 2020 and 2022.

But the BBC was also criticized for knowing what exactly was happening. he knew and when. Edwards was paid between 475,000 and 479,999 pounds (approximately $627,000 to $632,000) from April 2023 to April 2024, mostly after the allegations came to light. However, he was eventually asked to repay around 200,000 pounds ($255,000) in August this year.

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter after the announcement of the sentence: “We are appalled by his crimes. He betrayed not only the BBC, but also the public who trusted him.

The Russell Brand fallout continues

In November, detectives were investigating sexual assault allegations against Brand asked prosecutors to consider filing charges against the former actor.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they had received “a number of allegations of sexual offenses in London” and elsewhere in the UK following Channel 4’s joint investigation into Brand. Dispatches, The timesAnd Sunday time last year.

The Briton has denied all allegations against him, which date from 2006 to 2013, when the 49-year-old was at the height of his fame working on Big Brother’s big mouth, Kings of comedy And Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijacking. A Investigation commissioned by Banijay UK discovered this year that informal complaints about Brand were made on set more than 20 years ago.

The Met Police have confirmed THR Last month, a file of evidence was passed to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for review. “As part of the investigation, a man in his 40s was interviewed by officers under caution on three occasions,” the statement said. These interviews related to a number of non-recent sexual offenses allegedly taking place inside and outside London.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, whose team is leading the investigation, said: “Our investigation continues and a file has now been passed to the CPS. We have a team of dedicated officers who provide specialist support to women who have come forward. We are committed to investigating sexual offenses regardless of when they may have occurred.

Chef star resigns following allegations of misconduct

Yet another problem for the BBC (the corporation was featured on THRthe list of Hollywood’s Biggest Winners and Losers in 2024) appeared in November when Gregg Wallace, co-host of the hugely popular BBC show Chef, asked to withdraw from this role while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated.

Banijay UK, producers of Chefsaid Wallace was cooperating with the internal investigation after BBC News Reported accusations that Wallace made inappropriate sexual comments to colleagues over a 17-year period came from 13 different people. Among them was presenter Kirsty Wark, a British contestant on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. She said that on two occasions the presenter made jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of the cast and crew.

Immediately afterwards, Wallace added fuel to the fire by responding that the accusations came from “middle-class women of a certain age.” He later apologized and his lawyers argued that it was completely false that he engaged in sexually harassing behavior.

Food critic Grace Dent is set to replace him in the next series of Celebrity chefalthough it is unclear whether it will take its place indefinitely.