Carol Vorderman has hit out at toxic TV culture, revealing she was sacked from a show after complaining about bad behaviour.
The former Countdown presenter warns allegations of misconduct made about Gregg Wallace are the tip of the iceberg in an industry riddled with systemic issues. The 63-year-old said: “It’s about keeping people down, particularly women. And it’s not just Gregg Wallace. This kind of behaviour is widespread, and it’s been happening for years.”
The star recalled an incident where, after making a complaint about inappropriate behaviour on a show, she was never invited back. She said: “I’ve made complaints, you may not be surprised to hear, about various people. Well, obviously, I get sacked. But even in the last couple of years – I can’t tell you which show it was – but I complained about someone, and after that I never appeared again. It’s still happening today.”
MasterChef judge Wallace, 60, stepped away from the BBC cooking show 10 days ago following accusations he made inappropriate sexual remarks and jokes during filming over a 17-year period. The ex-greengrocer dismissed his accusers as “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” – a statement he later apologised for.
His legal team says it is “entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”. Carol – who has a reported IQ of 154 – was 22 when she made her first TV appearance on C4’s game show Countdown in 1982.
During her long telly career, she says she has witnessed first-hand the ingrained culture of protecting stars while overlooking the mistreatment of those beneath them. She said: “You get this pattern of people being too scared to speak up. If you’re the first one to make a complaint, you’re branded a troublemaker, and it’s incredibly difficult to get heard. People are scared to lose their jobs, especially when you’re just starting out. If you stick your head above the parapet, you risk everything.”
The star is acutely aware of the challenges facing younger women trying to make it in television and she says female colleagues have often turned to her for help navigating abusive and exploitative practices in the industry. She says: “I get a lot of women coming to Auntie Carol for advice – younger women in TV who just want to know how to survive.
“I tell them, ‘You’ve got to play the game, even if it’s not right’. But it’s hard, and it’s not just about sexual harassment. It’s a culture that keeps women down and hides the truth.”
Carol is one of many who believe that the industry’s current culture of secrecy and fear must be addressed. Withnail and I actor Richard E Grant, 67, has also highlighted the bullying and harassment young TV runners face.
Calling for change, Carol added: “We need unions that protect people, not just the stars. And we need producers and managers who are trained to manage properly, not just let things slide because it’s easier. We need a cultural shift. And it’s going to take all of us standing together to make it happen.”
- Carol’s latest book Now What? On a Mission to Fix Broken Britain is out now