Executives at Britain's ITV defended the broadcaster's working culture Wednesday as a committee of lawmakers grilled them about the way the network handled staff complaints and allegations of a “toxic,” bullying work environment.
ITV, best known for shows like “Downton Abbey,” “Coronation Street" and “The X Factor," has been under intense public scrutiny since Phillip Schofield, a long-time host on the channel's popular morning show, quit last month after admitting he lied about his affair with a much younger male colleague.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall and two other ITV executives were called to Parliament's culture, media and sport committee to answer wider questions about how the broadcaster handled staff complains and safeguarding.
Asked about Schofield, 61, and the younger colleague, who was not named, McCall denied that ITV turned a blind eye to what she called a “deeply inappropriate” relationship. She added that there were only two complaints in five years about bullying or harassment related to Schofield's show, “This Morning,” and that both were taken seriously.
But lawmaker John Nicholson, a former journalist who has worked as an anchor on ITV, told the panel he received multiple messages from former and current ITV staff complaining about a culture of bullying and a “toxic” environment, especially at its daytime program operations.
He cited allegations that the broadcaster brushed off complaints and that staffers who spoke out were forced out of their jobs.
The parliamentary committee's chair, Caroline Dinenage, said ITV clearly needed to rebuild trust with its staff and viewers and ensure it was a welcoming workplace.
“We want to be confident that ITV is not letting star power and favoritism damage the lives and careers of people working there, and more importantly we want to be confident that where mistakes have been made ITV will be making changes," she said.
It wasn't the first time that ITV has faced scrutiny and criticism about its work culture and treatment of staff, especially those who worked on its hit reality contest shows like “The X Factor” and “Love Island.”
In 2020 Caroline Flack, a former host of “Love Island,” took her own life after stepping down from the show a few months earlier. Flack, 40, had been the focus of negative articles and social media trolling after she was charged with assaulting her boyfriend.
Two former contestants on the show died by suicide in 2018 and 2019.
Since then, ITV said it has updated its “duty of care” policies to provide better psychological support and protection for reality show contestants.
