BBC antisemitism staff allegations
More than 200 Jewish staff members of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have publicly accused the organisation of ignoring their calls for a formal investigation into alleged antisemitism within the corporation. These staff members, including employees, contractors and contributors across the television and film industries, say that after submitting detailed complaints and reports outlining systemic issues they have received no meaningful response from BBC management.
In one letter addressed to senior BBC leadership and signed by around 208 individuals, the majority of whom are Jewish, the signatories expressed “anguish and disbelief” that previous complaints about the broadcaster’s coverage amid the war in Gaza and its workplace culture have not been addressed. They wrote that when it comes to racism and discrimination at the BBC, “Jews don’t count.”
The complainants pointed to specific concerns including alleged failures to treat anti-Jewish racism with the same seriousness given to other forms of discrimination, a perceived reluctance to acknowledge the lived experiences of Jewish staff, and what they describe as repeated patterns of dismissive responses from the organisation. One former producer signed the letter and said: “When we present compelling evidence of the BBC’s institutionalised antisemitism … we expect to be listened to and not gaslit, especially by the BBC Board who won’t even formally discuss our concerns.”
In response to the letter and rising concerns, BBC Director-General Tim Davie met with representatives from the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He affirmed that the corporation is committed to tackling racism and antisemitism and maintained that there is no place at the BBC for any form of racist abuse. But critics say that commitments in writing are not enough and that meaningful investigation, transparency and accountability have so far been lacking.
The issue is especially sensitive given the licence-fee funded nature of the BBC and its public service remit. Many see the matter not only in terms of internal workplace culture but also in how the broadcaster handles coverage of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and how it addresses concerns of bias or discrimination in its editorial output. The signatories warned that failure to address these issues undermines trust in the organisation and may have broader implications for its credibility.
For now, the BBC has referred to existing complaint and whistle-blowing routes and emphasised that it has processes in place to handle concerns confidentially. But the Jewish staff members say that those processes have failed in practice and that formal investigation by the board or independent body is what is required.
This development may put additional pressure on the BBC’s leadership and its governance structure, particularly as external scrutiny over its culture, editorial standards and handling of discrimination complaints continues to grow.
