BBC Director General Tim Davie interrupted a question-and-answer session with the media to address allegations of bullying and abusive behavior on the reality show, “Strictly Come Dancing.”
Davie broke his silence on the matter during the press conference addressing the corporation’s annual report. He apologized to contestants that suffered ill treatment on the flagship show, The Mirror reported Tuesday.
“I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive,” Davie said.
“Strictly Come Dancing” contestant Amanda Abbington claimed her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive toward her and she later quit the show. Graziano Di Prima was reportedly fired for kicking his partner, Zara McDermott. Others also came forward with claims of abusive behavior amid the scandal, according to the Daily Mail.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 18: Tim Davie CEO of BBC studios attends the annual CBI conference on November 18, 2019 in London, England. With 24 days to go until the general election, each of the leaders of the three main parties addressed the conference, in a bid to garner the support of the business sector. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Davie addressed questions regarding whether or not the show would be yanked from BBC as a result of the disturbing allegations.
“Simply put, from my point of view, I need to be assured that we have the right safeguarding procedures and duty of care processes in place to deliver a full show. And that is the first question I ask as director general,” he said, according to The Mirror. “I think I am assured by the robust actions actually, that we have taken in terms of the changes we’ve made, production team members in the training room, the two new roles, in terms of welfare producers, that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year.”
“I think it’s always been about how do we make sure that we deliver a show that is fun, entertaining, but also appropriately support everyone involved. And with that reassurance, absolutely. I’m looking forward to the next season,” Davie continued.
The BBC boss addressed the tarnished reputation the show is facing, admitting that “you always learn from things.”
Speaking about claims made by contestant Will Bayley about problems he faced on the show, Davie said, “Bayley spoke very eloquently with a degree of generosity actually” and went on to state that they “clearly need to listen and learn,” according to The Mirror.
“I think the door is always open for people come to come to the BBC, and discuss things and that we can do to improve. But overall, I think we’ve got the systems in place and we’ve got the processes in place. And we keep updating and changing to reflect information as it comes in,” Davie said.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 28: BBC Director-General Tim Davie during the visit of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales at the BBC World Service at BBC Broadcasting House on April 28, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) Getty Images
Davie accepted responsibility for failing in his duty of care for contestants.
“I think that is something that we do reflect on, and I’m sorry about that. I think that there are clearly learnings, specifically, with regard to oversight in the training rooms that we have needed to address,” he said. (RELATED: Alleged Victims Sue Chris Brown For $50 Million In Assault Case)
“I do believe overall, the hundreds of people have come through this show and had a positive experience,” he continued.
