This Morning staff ‘faced further bullying’ after reporting show’s toxic working culture to ITV
A “large number” of ITV’s This Morning employees have told Parliament they faced “further bullying and discrimination” after raising concerns of toxicity and harassment with the broadcaster.
In June, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall faced questions from MPs about former host Phillip Schofield‘s exit from the daytime show amid allegations it was fostering a ‘toxic’ bullying culture.
In correspondence published on Wednesday, Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Dame Carolyn that a group of This Morning employees past and present had since raised similar claims to Parliament.
In the letter dated 24 July, Dame Caroline wrote: “In the month that has passed since your appearance before the committee, we have been contacted by a large number of individuals who have identified themselves as currently working or previously having worked on This Morning or as part of the wider ITV Daytime team.
Phillip Schofield on This Morning. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
“These individuals speak with great pride about working at ITV and are hugely positive about many of their colleagues.
“However, they also raise claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment.
“Some of those individuals who have contacted us have described how their decision to raise concerns within ITV has led to further bullying and discrimination, and in some cases having to leave the organisation with a settlement agreement.”
Dame Caroline said it is “easy to understand” why the individuals left ITV and “do not wish to relive their traumatic experiences”, as well as believing ITV will not take them seriously.
In a response, Dame Carolyn asked the parliamentary committee to “encourage individuals to contact ITV via our reporting line SafeCall” through which reports can be made confidentially or anonymously.
Alternatively individuals can contact Jane Mulcahy KC who is leading an external review of the facts after Schofield’s exit, which is expected to be completed in September, Dame Carolyn said.
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Dame Carolyn says she does not believe ITV could have dealt with the rumours differently, but awaits the results of an independent investigation.
She continued: “As we made clear to you and the committee, we are absolutely committed to enabling people to raise any issues or complaints they may have about working at ITV.
“We always take these seriously and will investigate and take whatever action is appropriate. However, we are unable to do so if we cannot engage with those people.”
In the correspondence, MPs accused ITV managing director Kevin Lygo of being “inconsistent” in his explanation about who decided 61-year-old Schofield should leave This Morning, after he admitted to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague on the show.
In evidence to MPs in June, Mr Lygo suggested Schofield wanted to step down, but a statement on 20 May from the presenter said: “I understand ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on.”
In her response, Dame Carolyn insisted there was “no inconsistency”, writing: “As made clear, Mr Schofield expressed a desire to leave This Morning but Kevin Lygo was the ultimate arbiter of such issues – following discussions with everyone involved.”
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Joy star James Norton on the ‘postcode lottery’ of IVF – and playing the scientist who was part of creating the first ‘test-tube baby’
Actor James Norton, who stars in a new film telling the story of the world’s first “test-tube baby”, has criticised how “prohibitively expensive” IVF can be in the UK.
In Joy, the star portrays the real-life scientist Bob Edwards, who – along with obstetrician Patrick Steptoe and embryologist Jean Purdy – spent a decade tirelessly working on medical ways to help infertility.
The film charts the 10 years leading up to the birth of Louise Joy Brown, who was dubbed the world’s first test-tube baby, in 1978.
In the UK, statistics show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade
Norton, who is best known for playing Tommy Lee Royce in the BAFTA-winning series Happy Valley, told Sky News he has friends who were IVF babies and other friends who have had their own children thanks to the fertility treatment.
“But I didn’t know about these three scientists and their sacrifice, tenacity and skill,” he said. The star hopes the film will be “a catalyst for conversation” about the treatment and its availability.
“We know for a fact that Jean, Bob and Patrick would not have liked the fact that IVF is now so means based,” he said. “It’s prohibitively expensive for some… and there is a postcode lottery which means that some people are precluded from that opportunity.”
Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton star in Joy. All pics: Netflix/ Kerry Brown
Now, IVF is considered a wonder of modern medicine. More than 12 million people owe their existence today to the treatment Edwards, Steptoe and Purdy worked so hard to devise.
But Joy shows how public backlash in the years leading up to Louise’s birth saw the team vilified – accused of playing God and creating “Frankenstein babies”.
Bill Nighy and Thomasin McKenzie star alongside Norton, with the script written by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne and his wife Rachel Mason.
The couple went through seven rounds of IVF themselves to conceive their son.
Norton portrays scientist Bob Edwards, while McKenzie plays embryologist Jean Purdy
While the film is set in the 1970s, the reality is that societal pressures haven’t changed all that much for many going through IVF today – with the costs now both emotional and financial.
“IVF is still seen as a luxury product, as something that some people get access to and others don’t,” said Thorne, speaking about their experiences in the UK.
“Louise was a working-class girl with working-class parents. Working class IVF babies are very, very rare now.”
In the run-up to the US election, Donald Trump saw IVF as a campaigning point – promising his government, or insurance companies, would pay for the treatment for all women should he be elected. He called himself the “father of IVF” at a campaign event – a remark described as “quite bizarre” by Kamala Harris.
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Bill Nighy ‘proud’ of new film on IVF breakthrough
“I don’t think Trump is a blueprint for this,” Norton said. “I don’t know how that fits alongside his questions around pro-choice.”
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In the UK, statistics from fertility regulator HEFA show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade.
“It’s so expensive,” Norton said. “Those who want a child should have that choice… and some people’s lack of access to this incredibly important science actually means that people don’t have the choice.”
Joy is in UK cinemas from 15 November, and on Netflix from 22 November
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