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News that Jermaine Jenas split from his wife six months after he was sacked by the BBC following a sexting scandal, has put the giant corporation centre stage once more and their REFUSAL to answer The Eye’s questions about the number of programmes which cannot now be broadcast.
Ellie Penfold, who married Mr Jenas in 2011, took to Instagram to reveal that their marriage was over. She wrote: “I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary. After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children’s privacy during this challenging time. Thank you, Ellie”.
The former footballer was dropped by the channel in August amid allegations of workplace misconduct after sending explicit texts to two female employees. He told The Sun: “We’ve not really spoken properly since. She’s absolutely raging”.
Mr Jenas confessed to lying to Ms Penfold, who describes herself as a ‘wife’ and mother’ in her Instagram bio, during a family holiday to Spain when he sneaked off to talk to his bosses about the messages.
Although Mr Jenas has admitted sending the texts, he insisted they were exchanged between two consenting adults and that he did nothing illegal. Last month Mr Jenas returned to punditry work on talkSPORT, and said in an interview his behaviour was “wildly inappropriate”.
But this controversy is only one of many to have hit the BBC.
For example Wynne Evans was dismissed from his BBC Radio Wales (RW) show as well as from the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ live tour, although he contests the decision and is planning to take the corporation to a tribunal.
The Mail on Sunday (MoS) broke the story, and had reported earlier: “The BBC was facing a fresh crisis last night after Strictly Come Dancing star was caught on film by The Mail on Sunday making a vile sexual comment about one of the show’s female hosts. Wynne Evans – the tenor known for the Go Compare ads and a BBC radio presenter – was recorded crudely suggesting a three-way sex session with presenter Janette Manrara using the hugely demeaning term ‘spit roast’…This is not the first time Evans has threatened the reputation of the BBC’s biggest show as it attempts to recover from a string of scandals”.
Mr Evans was forced to apologise soon afterwards, and declared that he had made an “inappropriate and unacceptable” remark (perhaps echoing a comment from Mr Jenas) during the tour launch at the start of January.
Queries about the number of scandals now to have hit the BBC were sent before Christmas but apart from automated messages saying the request for information had been received, there has been no response whatsoever, even though they had directly followed the alarming Gregg Wallace business.
As with Mr Evans, it was reported that Mr Wallace was also stepping back (although it may not have been entirely voluntary for Mr Evans), but in this case it was from his role on MasterChef while allegations of historical misconduct were looked into.
An investigation by BBC News revealed that he is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him over a 17-year period, although he vehemently denies his behaviour was inappropriate.
Channel 5 was also examining allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by the presenter while making the programme ‘Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends’ in 2019.
More alleged ‘inappropriate behaviour’ came to light afterwards, and BBC News has reported about the corporation: “It’s the last thing it needs, so soon after other high profile scandals including the disgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards. The BBC has questions to answer about the allegations over what it knew about Wallace’s behaviour on and off set, and – if it was alerted to these types of allegations – what it did about them. BBC News has been made aware of two occasions when complaints were made. One, by the radio host Aasmah Mir, related to Celebrity MasterChef in 2017.”
One Welsh former senior executive with the corporation said earlier: “The BBC is attempting to display decisiveness after the Huw Edwards & Savile scandals to help restore its public image. It’s cosmetic. On the Wallace incident it was said that we saw: “Another slap on the wrist from weak executives who’re afraid to sack talent & put ratings first. He’s finished and the Beeb managers who let him carry on should be fired”.
All of this came on the back of many other terrible events where the BBC has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. We have had the Amanda Abbington/Giovanni Pernice incident on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, involving accusations of bullying and harassment.
We have been treated to the Huw Edwards affair, and the Jimmy Savile scandal (which the former executive mentioned), with the full extent of what Savile did only emerging relatively recently.
All of these incidents have prompted front page news about The BBC in UK papers. The allegations concerning Mr Evans may be the latest, but we’ll start with the information about Ms Abbington The BBC says it assessed and “upheld some, but not all” of her complaints about her time on Strictly, after she pulled out of the show last year and claimed later that there was a “toxic environment”, as well as that she had been subject to “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.
In saying sorry, the massive corporation proclaimed: “We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made. We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do”. It also said in the apology statement that The BBC expects “…very high standards…”, so critics are entitled to ask why they apparently do not exist in the Media Office (MO), especially after the Mr Evans affair.
Let’s not forget the incredible Jay Blades episode. The Repair Shop star was accused of illegal acts in relation to his estranged wife, with the allegations including physical and emotional abuse, according to court documents. He appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court and was bailed until another court appearance. West Mercia Police (WMP) said he was charged after they were called to an address last year, following an Instagram post by Lisa Zbozen. A repeat of David & Jay’s Touring Toolshed was removed and the BBC will not show any programmes in which he features. Last October he pleaded not guilty to engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.
After everything that has happened, it seemed reasonable, therefore, to ask the BBC which programmes could not now be transmitted.
This is the (extremely polite) request our Editor, Welshman Phil Parry, put to their MO on December 19, and he was encouraged because on the BBC’s website they declare: “Enquiries from journalists will be responded to as quickly as possible”.
Hello.
I am Editor of a news website called The Eye.
Could you please answer the following questions:
1. In the light of the Gregg Wallace, and other affairs, what, if any, programmes are now not to be transmitted, and how many of them are there?
2. What, if any, changes have been made to your Whistleblowers’ Charter, and what are the dates of these?
3. What, if any, changes have been made to your safeguarding policies, and what are the dates of these?
Statements can be made by return to this address – it is checked constantly and is totally secure.
Thank you,
Phil Parry
To date, though, there has been no reply apart from two automated messages saying that the requests had been received.
AGAIN – perhaps these sorts of questions are too difficult to handle, after news that Mr Jenas has split up with his wife, and the BBC is at the centre of it all!
The memories of Phil’s, astonishing award-winning career in journalism (including some of the immediate responses from MOs) as he was gripped by the rare neurological disabling condition, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order the book now!
Tomorrow – how during 23 years with the BBC, and 41 years in journalism (when he was trained to use simple language, avoiding jargon), political stories as well as looking at key events differently, have always been central for Phil, and the spotlight has been turned on this by the ‘news’ coming out of China’s ruling National People’s congress recently where troublesome non-party journalists were barred, the leader was praised, and much of what was said was absurd and formulaic.
