Bectu urges employers to do more to tackle abuse after Brand conviction, Walliams allegations
UK media and entertainment union Bectu has called on all creative industries employers to uphold better behavioural standards following Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault and the recently published allegations against David Walliams.
Philippa Childs, the union’s outgoing head, said employers need to do far more to root out abusers and address an “entrenched power imbalance” in the industry, including enforcing standards of behaviour laid out by the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA).
Headlines in the UK have been dominated recently by two separate stories involving high-profile TV figures: Brand, a comedian, actor and presenter, and Walliams, a performer and former Britain’s Got Talent judge.
Brand was last week found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape. On Monday, he was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years for the offences, with British High Court judge Mr Justice Bennathan describing Brand as a “sexual predator” who told a “series of lies” and exhibited “staggering arrogance.”
Reacting to Brand’s conviction, Childs said: “Justice may have been done, in this case thanks to the brave women who have come forward, but we should not pretend that wider cultural issues in the creative industries have been solved.
“Fundamentally this is an industry where the power imbalances between people are too skewed, and the insecurity of work means there are high barriers for women coming forward because of the risk of losing future work.
“Trade unions have an important role to play in rectifying this power imbalance, but we need employers in the sector to do far more to enforce standards of behaviour and root out abusers; this must start with all employers signing up to CIISA.”
This week, multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, grooming and assault against Walliams came to light after a lengthy High Court bid by Walliams to block publication was dismissed.
The allegations, which Walliams denies, were detailed as part of a major joint three-year investigation by The Guardian and ITV News. ITV News yesterday published the hour-long documentary, titled ‘David Walliams accused of targeting teens as young as 15,’ on its YouTube channel, where it has so far drawn more than 1.5 million views, while ITV1 aired it under the title David Walliams: Power & Silence last night.
In the documentary, multiple women allege Walliams abused his celebrity status to prey on them for sexual purposes when they were teenagers or young women.
In The Guardian’s report, representatives for the production companies Fremantle and Syco, which produce Britain’s Got Talent, each said neither company had any knowledge of the allegations levelled at Walliams or had ever received any complaints about him.
In a statement, ITV, which broadcasts the show, said it was sorry to hear of the allegations but noted that Fremantle had confirmed that “no complaint has ever been made to them about David Walliams’ behaviour.”
The BBC has said it will remove certain content, including Walliams’ breakthrough sketch comedy series Little Britain and adaptations of his children’s books such as Gangsta Granny, from its platforms. Gangsta Granny, along with many other adaptations of his books, was produced by King Bert Productions, the production company Walliams set up in 2013.
A BBC spokesperson said: “These are serious allegations. As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms. We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, while this review is underway.”
In a letter to The Guardian and ITV News, Walliams wrote: “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.
“Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”
Responding to the allegations against Walliams, Childs said: “This news, coming swiftly after the conviction of Russell Brand, should leave nobody believing that this is simply a case of a few bad apples. It is sadly yet more evidence of an entrenched power imbalance and lack of accountability in the creative industries, which have yet to be solved.
“Highlighting and talking about these issues is an important part of tackling inappropriate behaviour, questioning industry standards and protecting vulnerable workers.”
