BBC director general offers apology following Strictly Come Dancing allegations

The director general of the BBC has apologised to Strictly Come Dancing contestants who have had an experience that “hasn’t been wholly positive”.

The corporation unveiled its annual report on Tuesday amid a storm of negative stories about the culture and treatment of contestants on the flagship programme.

Tim Davie told journalists that there will inevitably be “competitiveness, hard work and the will to do well” on the show, “but there are limits and the line should never be crossed”.

He added: “We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.”

Asked if he is confident the show will go ahead this series, he said: “I need to be assured we have the right safeguarding and duty of care in place, and that is the first question I ask.

“I am assured by the robust actions we have taken in terms of the changes we have made … that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year and that has been my focus.”

He continued: “With that assurance, I’m looking forward to the next season.”

Addressing how he felt when the allegations first emerged about the show, he said he was “disappointed”.

He added: “I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive, I think that is something we do reflect on, and I’m sorry about that.”

It is vital that we have the right protocols and structures in place for the show. We keep these under review, and as you know we confirmed changes to these last week. It is essential these are right for everyone

Mr Davie told journalists: “Strictly is a wonderful show that brings a lot of joy to a lot of people, and has done so for 20 years, to both those involved with the show itself and to millions of people at home.

“Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew, have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.

“At the same time, if someone feels there was something wrong or they wanted to talk about their experience, then, of course, we want them to raise that with us and be in no doubt, we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.

“While I’m not going to talk about individuals, you can see evidence of that in recent weeks. So, I hope that anyone who does want to talk to us feels they can.

“It is vital that we have the right protocols and structures in place for the show. We keep these under review, and as you know we confirmed changes to these last week. It is essential these are right for everyone.

“Of course, alongside the fun and entertainment, there will be a degree of competitiveness, hard work, and a will to do well, that’s part of what makes this show. But there are limits and the line should never be crossed.

“We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind.”

On Monday, former contestant Will Bayley said he suffered serious injury while performing a jump in rehearsals for the programme, and has claimed there was “no duty of care”.

The Paralympian has said producers were told the jump from a table during a routine was too dangerous, but he was encouraged to do it anyway, and after he was injured show bosses made him feel as though it was his fault.

His torn knee ligaments forced him to pull out of the series in 2019.

The table tennis player is the latest star to speak about his experiences on the show, after concerns were raised about the treatment of contestants Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott.

Abbington has described professional Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. He denies the claims.

Meanwhile, professional Graziano Di Prima left the show after allegations about his treatment of Love Island star McDermott.

On July 16 the BBC said it would introduce measures to “strengthen welfare and support” on the show, including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during training room rehearsals.

There are clearly learnings, specifically with oversight of the training rooms, that we need to address. With the benefit of hindsight, you always say could we have done more? The measures we have taken, I believe, are an appropriate and fair response

Responding to Bayley’s comments, Mr Davie said: “The door is always open for people to come to the BBC and discuss things we can do to improve, but overall I think we have the systems and processes in place and we are updating and changing it.

“I think we can deliver the show successfully this season.”

Asked if the BBC had taken its eye off the ball with events that had gone on in the training room, he said: “There are clearly learnings, specifically with oversight of the training rooms, that we need to address. With the benefit of hindsight, you always say could we have done more?

“The measures we have taken, I believe, are an appropriate and fair response.”