For decades, the biggest fear for any male BBC presenter was making an embarrassing on-screen gaffe.
These days, that’s the least of their worries.
The more pressing problem – one that is a talking point for the hosts of its biggest shows – is whether they will be swept up in the bullying and sex scandals engulfing the broadcaster.
So tense has the atmosphere become at the increasingly woke BBC’s HQ that I’m told its biggest male stars are in a state of ‘constant fear and paranoia’ with many saying they are now ‘almost too scared to open their mouths at all’.
Sources say some of the corporation’s best-known faces fear being hauled before bosses over a joke or ill-judged comment made long ago.
They have all seen colleagues disciplined or even sacked for making off-the-cuff remarks.
Indeed, insiders say ‘cancel culture’ is now so out of hand that many stars are struggling to work normally, with some claiming they spend half their time ‘looking over their shoulder expecting to see an HR manager’.
One big name, whom I have agreed not to name, tells me: ‘People who have been totally professional and have been successful and respected broadcasters now just wonder how long it is before somebody says they’ve been offended by something they have said.
‘It feels like someone gets cancelled every week. It’s almost as though it’s more a question of “when” than “if” and that’s damaging to people who work in TV. People are trying to turn themselves into robots, it feels like that’s the only way not to risk your career.
‘It’s actually getting beyond a joke now. It’s a really unpleasant environment to work in.’
Many seasoned staff are, another insider tells me, reluctant to ask questions about existing scandals in case they are accused of condoning someone else’s behaviour – leading to a bizarre and uncomfortable conspiracy of silence.
‘Even if you’ve worked directly with someone, you daren’t ask questions about what has really gone on,’ says my insider.
‘The most normal thing in the world if there is a major incident at work is to want to understand more about it, but people are doing the exact opposite now. They’re deliberately burying their heads and almost putting their fingers in their ears and saying “please don’t tell me anything more, I don’t want to know”.’
Anxiety among staff is hardly a surprise given that never in the BBC’s history has it been buffeted by so many scandals.
In the last 18 months, stars from its flagship Saturday night show, Strictly Come Dancing – both celebrities and professional dancers – have been investigated for allegations ranging from inappropriate comments to illegal drug use and even a physical assault.
Dancer Giovanni Pernice was cleared of the worst claims made by his celebrity partner, actress Amanda Abbington, while his fellow pro dancer Graziano Di Prima was fired over allegations that he kicked Love Island star Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
Opera singer Wynne Evans was also dropped by the broadcaster over ‘inappropriate and unacceptable’ remarks made during the Strictly live tour last year, lewd comments The Mail on Sunday exposed.
Meanwhile, MasterChef hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace have been dumped over historical comments, and The One Show presenter and Match Of The Day pundit Jermaine Jenas was axed last year over his messages to two female colleagues.
That’s on top of the criminal fall from grace of news anchor Huw Edwards last summer.
I’ve recently revealed allegations of bullying on the BBC’s Breakfast show. And this week, a female star was even hauled over the coals by bosses for showing another colleague an explicit image on her phone.
I know the identity of this woman and the circumstances surrounding the incident – and you can take my word for it, the fact she is being investigated is bizarre.
The overriding problem for the male stars is a lack of context. Without full transparency over the allegations they face, those in trouble for milder transgressions are ‘lumped in with the worst offenders’, as one source put it.
‘Whether you’ve made a bit of a clumsy joke, or been accused of bullying, or have been involved in something truly disgraceful, the outcome is the same,’ my BBC insider said.
‘Once you’re on the BBC’s hit list there’s rarely a way back.’
The top talent also say they are being held to ‘totally unrealistic standards’, which are higher than those in behind-the-scenes roles.
A source explained: ‘If you’re a long-serving cameraman or another crew member and you say something totally inappropriate you’re likely to get away with it.
‘Anyone on-screen, however, is expected to be completely squeaky-clean at all times. It should be the best job in the world but it’s enough to put people off.’
Others say there is ‘no single rule’ for what behaviour crosses the line and what doesn’t – with older stars such as Gregg Wallace more readily punished than ‘a young pin-up who might have been let off the hook’.
‘These days, one of the worst crimes is being a bit old-fashioned – but actually they’re probably the people who are most like the viewing public,’ a source said.
‘Normal people are sick of this woke agenda, too, and it’s ruining the shows they love.’
I’m told the BBC’s upper echelons are now working on a plan to avoid further reputational damage to Strictly and other shows.
As one media commentator put it: ‘They’re shooting themselves in the foot with this approach and harming their own shows.
‘Anyone who truly misbehaves should be punished or lose their job but, if the BBC stopped being so hyper-sensitive about everything, these little comments and jokes could be overlooked.
‘Instead, they’ve given anybody with a bit of a grudge the perfect opportunity to knife someone in the back, any moment they fancy.
‘People are sitting on little things that others have said, sometimes years ago, and keeping them in their back pocket as a potential complaint if they irritate them in the future.’ And as more than one person has wryly pointed out, if this carries on there might be no one left on television at all.
