UK minister to meet industry leaders over entertainment safeguards

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will meet representatives from media, entertainment and sport in the week of 16 November to discuss safeguards. She told MPs that the government would not hesitate to take further action if protections were insufficient. She also said the use of non-disclosure agreements would be part of the discussion.

The meeting follows several distinct developments in British entertainment. Russell Brand was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault against four women. He denied the charges and was acquitted of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Comedian and author David Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct and abusing his power to groom teenagers. He denies wrongdoing. The BBC reported that the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into further allegations about him.

Separately, Channel 4 announced on 5 November that Married at First Sight UK would not return, after serious allegations were made against former participants. The participants concerned deny the allegations.

A longer-running problem

The BBC’s culture correspondent Noor Nanji argues that the clustering of the stories is partly coincidental: the journalistic investigations began years ago. She sees the recent developments as consequences of longer-running changes rather than evidence of a sudden shift in the industry.

Philippa Childs, head of the broadcasting union Bectu, told the BBC that vulnerable workers still fear raising concerns and that internal reporting mechanisms are inadequate. The BBC reports that insecure incomes can make it particularly difficult for junior freelancers to speak out. The cases do not, on their own, establish whether reporting or protections have improved across the industry.

Channel 4 said an external review of welfare on Married at First Sight UK found no breach of the broadcasting code in its or production company CPL’s handling of issues raised at the time. It also identified isolated instances where the welfare framework was not fully implemented and recommended improvements. Another part of the review concluded that future series could reasonably be made with changes to the format and welfare arrangements.

The broadcaster said neither part of the review adjudicated the serious allegations themselves. Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra and chair Geoff Cooper are due to appear before MPs on 17 November at a regular hearing on the broadcaster’s work.