BBC chief Tony Hall has backed Top Gear host Chris Evans after he was accused of bullying two female colleagues.
MORE: BBC Accused Of Burying Chris Evans Bullying Complaints
Last month Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen wrote to Hall raising concerns at reports that Top Gear producer Lisa Clark abruptly left her job in December after challenging Evans during a meeting with BBC executives.
It's official. Top Gear died tonight.#RIPTopGear pic.twitter.com/d9Jg5FbEBQ
— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) May 29, 2016
Sources said Clark was deeply unhappy about leaving.
Bridgen also drew to Hall’s attention claims that Evans allegedly reprimanded an employee on his Radio 2 show so severely that she was left in tears and a third party had to step in to separate them.
But Hall has defended Evans.
MORE: Chris Evans Flashed Colleague ‘Relentlessly’ For Two Years
Bridgen wrote to Hall: “I am given to understand that Lisa Clark created a ‘paper trail’ of evidence about Mr Evans’s [allegedly] unreasonable conduct before she left the BBC, some of which she shared with BBC managers. Can you please find out what these managers established about the circumstances leading to the abrupt departure of Ms Clark from the BBC? Were the allegations regarding the (so far unnamed) Radio 2 staff member whom Chris Evans apparently so upset properly scrutinised by the BBC’s managers? Has Chris Evans been properly questioned about these matters? How do the allegations against Mr Evans square with your zero-tolerance approach to bullying?
Hall’s reply, seen by Heat Street, states: “As you would expect I have wanted to look very carefully at the specific issues you raise and give this matter proper consideration. I have spoken to Mark Linsey, Director of BBC Studios, and Bob Shennan Controller, Radio 2, who have assured me that there is no truth to the suggestion that Chris Evans’ behaviour either on the set of Top Gear or on the breakfast show at Radio 2 has been unprofessional.”
Hall offered no further details by way of explanation.
The new series of Top Gear, co-hosted by Friends star Matt LeBlanc, debuted on Sunday night in the UK with an audience of 4.4 million.
Some critics have panned it and the audience reaction was notably hostile, prompting Evans to take to twitter to justify its audience share.
More bad news for the Top Gear haters: consolidated figures for the first episode of the new series have now past 5.6 million and counting.
— Chris Evans (@achrisevans) May 31, 2016
The show aired on BBC America on Monday night where some US viewers accused it of having lost its “charm” and sent tweets using the hashtag #RIPTopGear
No, you won't see me next week#TopGear #RIPTopGear
— Bev (@schroddybach) May 31, 2016
Overnight figures from Australia, where it was screened on BBC Knowledge, were showed it picked up 42,000 viewers.
Bridgen also referred in his letter of May 12 to Heat Street’s report that in the 1990s Evans allegedly exposed his penis “relentlessly” to a female colleague for “almost two years” and once allegedly “grabbed” her breasts.
Without confronting these allegations head-on, Hall wrote back: “Chris Evans’ past issues, both at work and in his personal life, have been well documented in the media. I am very satisfied that since he rejoined the BBC he has met the standards expected of him.”
Hall concluded: “As Editor-in-Chief I have made it a priority to see that the right procedures are in place to make sure that any allegations of misconduct are properly investigated, should a member of staff wish to raise a concern. There has been a comprehensive overhaul of the BBC’s Bullying and Harassment procedures and a focus on creating a culture where people feel confident they can raise concerns, through a range of available channels, and that they will be dealt with appropriately. The BBC’s position on conduct in the workplace is very clear and the rules apply to everyone, irrespective of their role or profile.”
When Heat Street has put these various claims to the BBC in the past, it has refused to comment.
Clark’s replacement on Top Gear, Clare Pizey, is said to have insisted on a “protective” clause in her contract which guarantees that at least one other person attends all meetings between her and Evans.
That claim has not been denied to Heat Street by the BBC either.
