EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is taking longer than ever to resolve bullying and harassment complaints, as the UK broadcaster’s chair admitted that it remains an “unbearable” place to work for some.
The BBC’s annual report, published on Tuesday, revealed that the corporation took an average of 119 days to close cases when an employee raised a grievance. This was up from 101 days in 2024.
A Deadline analysis shows that the 119-day average was comfortably longer than any year since the BBC started disclosing resolution times in 2013. It is nearly four times the BBC’s target of 30 days.
The BBC told Deadline that the time it is taking to resolve complaints “needs to improve.” The BBC’s position is that the increase in resolution times was a result of efforts to close delayed cases from previous financial years.
Speaking at a press briefing for the annual report, Leigh Tavaziva, the BBC’s chief operating officer, said the corporation has a “clear plan in place to reduce” the 119-day timeframe, including increasing resources for complex cases.
The figures are unlikely to help inspire confidence in BBC processes at a time when the broadcaster is cracking down on misconduct following a workplace culture review in April.
BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged that the broadcaster still has progress to make. “There are still places where powerful individuals — on and off-screen — can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable,” he said at a press briefing for the annual report.
He added, however, that since the culture review, more staff are coming forward with concerns and “several people have been dismissed as a result.” He declined to offer more details on the individuals who have lost their jobs following complaints.
The BBC has acted swiftly to remove MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode after a Lewis Silkin review found credible complaints against the presenters.
The majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humor, but he denies more serious claims. Torode was found to have used “highly offensive racist language,” but did not recall the incident.
The BBC’s annual report showed there were 45 bullying and harassment cases in the year to March 31, 2025, while it also recorded a single sexual harassment case. The total of 46 cases was down from 50 last year and was below the average of 59 over the past decade.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are taking action to make sure that the BBC continues to be a great place to work, and this includes ensuring our staff are confident in how we manage concerns and cases.
“We recognise the rise in case closure times, which is partly due to resolving older cases from previous financial years, and that this needs to improve. Following the workplace culture review, we are launching a new helpline to address issues earlier, improving communication and support available to staff, and increasing our investment in resources to support those handling complex cases.”
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