Tradition reporter
The BBC has apologised to body of workers who felt they may now not discuss up with issues about Russell Logo’s behaviour as a result of he was once observed as “too influential” and so they felt he “would at all times get his means and subsequently they stayed silent”.
The apology got here because the BBC revealed the findings of an inside evaluation into Logo’s time as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and six Track between 2006 and 2008.
The investigation thought to be 8 court cases, two of that have been made whilst he labored for the company.
A kind of, which associated with him urinating right into a cup and behaving aggressively all the way through his Radio 2 display, was once registered officially on the time, and the BBC has now admitted it was once “now not handled successfully”.
The BBC introduced the investigation after separate allegations in 2023 from a number of girls who accused the 49-year-old actor and comic of rape, sexual attacks and emotional abuse.
Logo has denied all allegations and stated his relationships had been “at all times consensual”.
‘Stayed silent’
Thursday’s record discovered that “just one formal criticism was once made about Logo’s beside the point behavior within the place of job” all the way through his stint on air, and past that there was once “no proof that his behaviour was once raised with control officially on the time”.
However the BBC stated that Logo was once “seemed to be too influential” for body of workers to bitch about.
Lots of the ones interviewed for the inner investigation “believed, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Logo would at all times get his means and subsequently they stayed silent”, the record stated. Additionally they believed he “had the give a boost to of the station control”.
Whilst one casual criticism was once additionally made, the record stated “it’s transparent that there have been different issues however the ones concerned felt not able or unwilling to lift those on the time as they felt the worries would now not be taken significantly and the methods for making court cases weren’t as transparent as they’re now”.
Pageant winner
Commenting at the record, Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy stated the court cases had been “horrendous”.
“As is the truth that body of workers felt not able to lift issues as a result of they didn’t assume that they might be believed or taken significantly,” she stated.
She added that the BBC will have to “take motion to reassure its body of workers and the broader public that it takes those problems significantly”.
“For too lengthy, there was a tradition of silence within the media business the place beside the point behaviour like Logo’s has been tolerated or downplayed. Energy imbalances and a belief that positive stars can’t be challenged are unfortunately now not distinctive to this example.”
The evaluation additionally discovered that Logo had consensual intercourse with a contest winner from his 6 Track display on BBC premises.
Talking to the evaluation crew, that particular person stated that whilst what took place was once consensual, they now felt “Logo had abused his place and brought benefit of them”.
The record added that there have been “control failings” and “there must were higher methods in position to be sure that Logo’s unacceptable behaviour was once promptly picked up and addressed”.
‘No longer taken significantly’
A BBC worker made a proper criticism to a supervisor in 2007 after Logo urinated right into a cup within the Radio 2 studio, after which threw items in anger when one of the crucial manufacturing crew made a mistake all the way through a 2d display.
The record stated it was once most probably that this was once then raised verbally with the Radio 2 controller on the time, Lesley Douglas, even supposing she does “now not recall those issues ever being raised along with her”.
Douglas denied that Logo ever sought to workout any affect over her, and stated her dating with him very similar to that she had with different presenters at the station.
The BBC made mild of the 2007 incident in a press reaction on the time, the record stated, when a spokesperson advised the Unbiased that Logo had urinated in a cup “and any individual has proven him the place the bathroom is”.
“Regrettably this incident was once now not taken significantly presently,” the record stated.
Any other body of workers member stated that they had raised issues informally about Logo’s behavior in 2006 and 2007, the record stated.
Any individual else alleged that Logo “tucked his hands down their trousers and undies and pulled them against him” in a hall whilst on set of a BBC radio manufacturing, however didn’t bitch on the time.
Workforce memebers who had been “maximum carefully” keen on his displays described his behaviour usually as “promiscuous or out-of-control”, however stated they didn’t “witness anything else non-consensual or probably unlawful”.
‘Insufficient’ criticism dealing with
Any other criticism was once made to the BBC about an incident in Los Angeles in 2008.
Logo is said to have adopted “Olivia” into a rest room and proven his penis to her moments prior to he started pre-recording his radio display.
The girl, who was once now not a BBC worker however labored in the similar development, didn’t bitch on the time, considering “she would now not be believed”.
The record discovered no proof of any individual in BBC control being acutely aware of Olivia’s enjoy on the time.
In 2019, a BBC Information body of workers member raised the incident with their line supervisor after Olivia showed she sought after to take the subject additional.
“It’s most probably the ones keen on escalating the criticism in 2019 felt that there was once not anything which may be performed because it was once over ten years later,” the record stated.
It concluded that the criticism procedure was once “insufficient”, as was once the dealing with of the 2019 criticism, and the BBC has apologised to Olivia.
Any other of the court cases within the record was once made via a girl named Alice, who stated a automobile supplied via the BBC for Logo accrued her and took her to his space when he was once in his 30s and she or he was once a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
The record concluded that it was once now not ready to make sure those claims but it surely was once “not going that the vehicles described via Alice had been chauffeur-driven BBC vehicles or BBC control vehicles”.
The record, and Alice, agree that if Logo did “convince a taxi or mini-cab pre-booked on his behalf via the BBC to make those trips, it is more likely to were performed with out the data of the BBC body of workers who booked his vehicles for him prematurely”.
The evaluation price £662,062 and was once performed via the BBC’s director of editorial court cases and opinions, Peter Johnston.
He added: “The processes for elevating any issues had been additionally now not as evolved as they’re now.
“Within the intervening years the BBC has offered different mechanisms and routes for body of workers to lift issues.”