The BBC has come under further pressure today to reveal how it has dealt with allegations of misconduct involving Top Gear presenter Chris Evans.
For the second time in 10 days, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen has sent a letter to BBC chief Lord Hall asking him to explain whether claims that Evans bullied two female BBC employees at Top Gear and Radio 2 are true.
MORE: BBC Chiefs Urged To Examine Chris Evans Bullying Claims
In the letter, a copy of which has been seen by Heat Street, Bridgen writes: “I trust that in view of your zero-tolerance approach to bullying, you can provide me with a full breakdown of how the BBC has examined these claims and what, if anything, it has done about them.”
Bridgen adds: “I need to know this because I am intending to raise in the House of Commons shortly the matters I mentioned to you regarding Chris Evans and the BBC’s response to the various allegations about him. For the sake of completeness this should include your own explanation as BBC editor-in-chief.”
MORE: BBC Accused Of Burying Chris Evans Bullying Claims
Bridgen’s first letter to Hall, on May 13, asked the BBC and BBC Trust to formally investigate the circumstances surrounding the sudden departure of Lisa Clark, the Top Gear producer who left the BBC following an alleged clash with Evans last December.
Today feels like a good day for a drive. #TopGear spotted on the Sunset Strip in LA! pic.twitter.com/xqjVffLF4P
— Top Gear BBCAmerica (@TopGear_BBCA) May 5, 2016
The second allegation against Evans relates to an incident last month in which he apparently shouted at a junior colleague at Radio 2 with such force that she was left in tears. It is said that an engineer on the show had to intervene.
In recent weeks Heat Street has revealed that Evans’ former business partner, John Revell, said he believes Evans is “out of control” and the bullying claims against him should be investigated by the BBC.
MORE: Chris Evans ‘Flashed Colleague For Two Years’
Last month we also reported that a group of former colleagues who worked with Evans on Channel 4 show The Big Breakfast alleged on a publicly available Facebook page that he used to expose himself to them at work and was prone to bullying.
It's bonkers how many people in the world watch this show. #TopGear's back on @BBCAmerica Monday, May 30th at 9/8c.https://t.co/xmni6CSR4t
— Top Gear BBCAmerica (@TopGear_BBCA) May 17, 2016
And we told how in the 1990s another former colleague who worked with Evans claimed he “relentlessly” exposed his penis to her – sometimes while aroused – “almost every day” for two years.
The woman, who requested anonymity, also alleged Evans was a “bully” who had “grabbed” her breasts.
The new series of Top Gear, presented by Evans and Matt LeBlanc, is due to start on Sunday on BBC2 and on BBC America on May 30.
The plan is to broadcast it simultaneously in about 50 other countries across Australia, Africa and the Middle East.
The show generates an estimated £150 million a year for the BBC through foreign sales.
