Fuming Eamonn Holmes has called on ITV bosses to provide a transcript to prove their claims that they carried out an investigation into the conduct of Phillip Schofield.
ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall gave evidence to MPs at Westminster on Wednesday and said the broadcaster does not recognise allegations of a toxic culture at This Morning. She told members of Culture, Media and Sport Committee that “it deeply disappoints me”.
She confirmed the show has had two complaints about bullying or harassment in five years which were “both taken very seriously”, including from the show’s former resident doctor Dr Ranj Singh. He raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
However, Holmes said Dame Carolyn still had a lot of work to do to convince people that ITV was “protecting those who are vulnerable and the disciplinary procedures [in place]”. The former This Morning presenter added: “They use all the usual nonsense and rubbish that they talk about, but they have to investigate.
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“When they investigated and they asked Schofield did you have an affair with this guy, which is what they didn’t ask – I know exactly what they asked.
“And they then asked the young lad involved in all of this. They need a transcript of what actually took place that day, because that was not a thorough investigation.”
Speaking on GB News ahead of Dame Carolyn’s evidence, Holmes went on: “He [Schofield] is totally discredited. He’s admitted he’s lied to his colleagues, to the Daily Mail, to his family, his agents, to everyone. And yet, people are deaf to this.
“People sit and go, ‘poor Philip, what’s he going through? He’s been bullied’. He’s been this, he’s been that. The man has lied. He’s admitted he’s lied.
“And where do we go from here? Carolyn McCall, what did you do about it? Because she’s woke sensitive…she’s a very hands-on chief executive, but her hands are in all the wrong places it appears.”
At Westminster, SNP MP John Nicholson told the panel he had received many messages from employees past and present at ITV talking about the bullying culture at the broadcaster, with one describing daytime TV as “particularly toxic”.
The chief executive said: “They’re very disappointing to hear. Deeply distressing. I’ve said we’ve had two official complaints, both of them investigated – it does not fill me with anything but sorrow.”
Talking about the allegations, she added: “It deeply disappoints me but we do not recognise that at This Morning, we have tangible evidence to tell you where the vast majority of people at daytime at This Morning are extremely engaged and very motivated.”
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