BBC fears power imbalance after Schofield case

Tim Davy, BBC CEO, addresses the Culture, Media and Sports Committee in the House of Commons. of Commons/UK Parliament/PA

BBC fears 'dangerous' power imbalance between staff, BBC CEO Tim Davy says after Philip Schofield scandal.

Schofield quit this morning after revealing an affair with a younger colleague, concerns were raised that the presenter has too much influence as former staff of the program claimed the ITV program had a «toxic culture».

Mr Davy said that the BBC fears the «dangerous» imbalance of power that exists between senior and junior staff in broadcasting.

In a conversation with the deputies of the Committee for Culture, Media and Sports, the head of broadcasting said: “The imbalance of power is dangerous, and we take care of them. Culturally speaking, being at the top of the BBC, I am very, very direct that this is not what I want to see in the organization.

“We do have an imbalance and this is a strange industry… Talent salaries against manufacturers, it's all an environment where there is power.»

Reviews of past violations

Mr Davy said his own caution about power imbalances is based on his personal reading of reviews of past misconduct.

The CEO said he thought he had learned from past scandals, BBC is not a 'toxic' workplace.

He said: “I think in general we are confident that we have a good culture at the BBC in our productions. I think it's any area where the BBC has a lot of experience.

«We have things that have happened in our past and we have things that we have learned from.

< p>“You are constantly vigilant, and any complacency, in my opinion, is inappropriate. We don't just rely on good intentions. We have a very, very fixed policy on bullying, harassment, whistleblowers, work practices that are strictly enforced.

“This is an incredibly important issue. I hope we are the best in the world, we are definitely the best I have seen in terms of the processes we have.”

Questions were raised about ITV's security measures after This Morning host Scholfield stepped down on 26 May after 21 years on the program after he admitted he had an «unreasonable but not illegal» relationship with a younger colleague .

A guide to impartiality

In a recent interview, the 61-year-old said he was «completely broken and ashamed» of the fling, but insisted he «didn't» court him.< /p>

MPs questioned Mr Davie about a number of issues facing the BBC, including its obligation to clarify what members can and cannot say on social media without violating impartiality.

The CEO has given guidance following the backlash against Gary Lineker's Twitter critique of government policy, leading to the cancellation of Match of the Day.

Mr Davey said of the controversy: «It has certainly been a busy weekend . I'm sorry it affected the audience at the end of the day.

«I will always regret that we didn't release the full program.»