EXCLUSIVE: According to Deadline, the head of the BBC’s premier breakfast news program had his authority strengthened following claims of bullying, partiality, and shaking a female coworker.
EXCLUSIVE: After being accused of bullying, Richard Frediani, the head of the BBC’s main breakfast news program, had his authority strengthened. He is perhaps the most prominent news executive outside of London, and he leads BBC Breakfast to agenda-setting stories and awards triumph. However, there has been skepticism over his leadership notwithstanding the show is iconic red sofa and the hospitable demeanor of presenters like Sally Nugent and Jon Kay.Deadline can disclose that he shakes a female coworker.
According to nine BBC insiders who talked to Deadline, Frediani has been the target of at least two complaints regarding workplace misconduct since taking over as editor of Breakfast in September 2019. One of these accusations was the focus of a formal grievance procedure last year. Regarding specific HR issues, the BBC refuses to comment. A request for comment from Frediani was not answered.
Insiders characterize Frediani, who prefers to be called by his school nickname “Fredi,” as a “bruiser” from a bygone era of journalism culture. One individual saw Frediani leave the production gallery and kick a wastebasket, while other sources claimed they have been yelled at when mistakes are made on-air. Workers were also uncomfortable with a culture of partiality.
Colleagues commend the former ITV News executive’s news credentials, but some who spoke to Deadline claimed his actions do not always align with the BBC’s ideals of fairness and respect. Because of the power he has amassed in Salford, the BBC’s headquarters in the north of England where Breakfast is based, one colleague claimed that Frediani is viewed as “untouchable” and that many are “scared to speak out.”
In one instance, which several sources have pointed to as an illustration of his actions going beyond professional bounds, Frediani allegedly gave a female editor in a lower position a physical shake during a workplace conversation in February 2024. The BBC looked into the incident and upheld the woman’s complaint. When asked for comment, the female editor—whom Deadline has decided not to identify—did not reply.
Shortly after the issue was settled, Frediani’s responsibilities were increased in May of last year when the BBC’s News at One was relocated to Salford, allowing him to edit Breakfast and take charge of the bulletin. Frediani has considerable control over the tone and agenda of BBC News’ output on BBC One thanks to the two shows, which are easily the highest-rated in their respective schedules. It is unclear if Frediani faced disciplinary action following the complaint, but his growing influence made others wonder if the BBC is doing enough to hold those who are accused of inappropriate behavior accountable.
Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC, testified before the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee of the UK Parliament this week that the organization has “zero tolerance” for misbehavior, even if an employee views the complaint as a “marginal” one. Regarding disciplinary procedures, he informed lawmakers that “everyone is dispensable.”
Despite the strong remarks, Deadline can disclose that when the BBC upholds charges of misconduct, it is not disciplining most of the people involved. According to data gathered through a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request, the BBC has upheld 39 complaints involving sexual harassment, bullying, and harassment in the last three years, however only 13 employees have received disciplinary punishment and one employee has been fired. This indicates that only about one-third of effective complaints resulted in punishment. Only two workers have lost their jobs out of the 72 grievances that the BBC has upheld or partially upheld in the last five years.
Although disciplinary action varies based on the specifics of each case, BBC management maintains that all complaints are taken seriously. The BBC has the authority to impose a variety of sanctions, such as written warnings, termination, and demotion or reassignment. According to BBC standards, written warnings are only valid for a year, though they may stay on a person’s record for an extended period of time under special circumstances.
Second Frediani Complaint
At least one additional instance of a BBC employee feeling obliged to speak with HR colleagues over Frediani is known to Deadline. According to sources, in 2020, a former Breakfast employee initially voiced concerns to supervisors and human resources. This person, whose identity Deadline is withholding, first raised concerns about claims that Frediani was harassing a coworker. The employee allegedly felt deliberately marginalized and denigrated after the report.
According to one individual with knowledge of the situation, Frediani treated the employee “significantly differently” than those he believed to be loyalists, yelling and cursing at them. According to the source, Frediani once admonished coworkers for an on-air mistake by “barging into” the production area and “banging his fist on a glass wall.” When concerns were raised, “nothing happened,” according to the source. The former Breakfast employee, who wished to remain anonymous, refused to speak.
The individual’s worries were sparked by a May 2020 article in the Mail on Sunday about a “bullying culture” at Breakfast. Except for the ones mentioned by Deadline, the newspaper said that there had been five complaints to managers and HR. According to the newspaper, Frediani “gets very cross regularly,” and staff members claimed they felt screamed at. He reportedly established a “boys club” of favorites.
According to those who spoke to Deadline, the vibe at Breakfast is “clubbable.” Frediani was accused of anything from omitting some coworkers from jokes and failing to acknowledge them when he entered a room to more grave worries about depriving others of decision-making authority. According to BBC values, leaders should “create a team environment where we treat everyone fairly and equally.” This is viewed as being inconsistent with those values.
“The lack of disciplinary action being taken gives a worrying impression that the corporation is failing to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves.” Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Deadline that the accusations against Frediani are “deeply disappointing and frustrating” and part of a “conveyor belt of unacceptable behaviour at the BBC.” She also commented on the FOI figures regarding upheld grievances.
It was unthinkable, according to sources, that BBC News executives were unaware of the grievances against Frediani before to giving him more authority last year. The BBC declined to comment on whether Turness, who sits on the BBC board, was aware of the allegations. Frediani reports to John McAndrew, director of news programmes and a key lieutenant of Deborah Turness, the former NBC News executive who is now the CEO of BBC News.
Frediani is a prominent figure on daily editorial calls, while being cut off from London’s daily activities and largely out of senior leaders’ line of sight. By providing updates on Manchester United star Marcus Rashford’s battle for free school meals, which earned him a Royal Television Society award, and Captain Tom Moore’s viral valor, he has turned Breakfast into an engine room of news. One admirer remarked, “He is a very good journalist and a workaholic.”
Workplace Culture Review
The BBC is currently under investigation for workplace misconduct, which coincides with Deadline’s disclosures regarding Frediani. Two evaluations of the past conduct of presenters Tim Westwood and Russell Brand were released by the corporation in recent weeks, and both of them exposed shortcomings in the BBC’s complaint handling procedures. Westwood and Brand deny any wrongdoing.
BBC CEO Davie highlighted recent advancements during this week’s Culture, Media, and Sport Committee hearing, but he also stated that the company needs to reach a stage where it can “flawlessly” state that it does not tolerate abuses of power in the workplace. “Powerful people behind the scenes… they do not have a right to abuse,” BBC Chair Samir Shah emphasized during the same session. Nobody is impervious to touch. The BBC is superior to everyone else.
As part of a workplace culture assessment being carried out by management firm Change Associates, the BBC will take into account additional modifications to its complaints procedures. According to many sources who spoke to Deadline, Frediani’s behavior has come up during discussions with Change Associates officials. The review is anticipated to be released by the BBC in April.
“We heard warm words from chair Samir Shah this week that he wants the BBC to be taking the lead when it comes to setting behavior standards in the media,” stated Dinenage, the politician who chairs the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. The BBC will have the chance to show what specific steps he and the BBC will take to eradicate inappropriate behavior, whether it occurs in front of or behind the camera, in response to the upcoming independent inquiry into workplace culture.
