BBC's Munchetty accused of bullying junior colleague
Naga Munchetty has been accused of bullying a junior colleague.
The BBC Breakfast presenter, 50, was also allegedly reprimanded for making a sex jibe on Radio 5 Live.
The series of claims about Munchetty were reported in The Sun following the announcement that Richard Frediani, the editor of BBC Breakfast and News at One, had taken a period of 'extended leave' following allegations of bullying made against him by the Deadline website.
The Telegraph reported on Thursday that the BBC brought in an external consultant to help review the culture of its breakfast show. Sources said that the broadcaster's HR team had seconded a lawyer from PricewaterhouseCoopers to deal with the crisis.
Munchetty is reported to be among the staff who have raised concerns about Frediani, who has been the subject of at least two misconduct complaints.
Insiders described Frediani as 'a bruiser' who ran the breakfast show 'with an iron fist', according to Deadline.
The toxic atmosphere had reportedly driven a wedge between Munchetty and Charlie Stayt, her co-presenter, according to The Sun.
But some people who worked with Frediani were quick to defend the editor.
One insider said: 'Maybe he has a different style but he wants the programme to be the best and for people to do the best job. Editors can get frustrated when they think that's not happening, and that frustration comes out in different ways. He's old-school.
'Perhaps what was acceptable in the past is no longer acceptable, and of course everybody has to move with the times.'
Another added: 'There is definitely an atmosphere on Breakfast. It's an unhappy place. But is that really all down to Fredi? I don't think so.'
Frediani has not commented on the allegations, which also include reports of shouting, swearing and screaming at colleagues.
A BBC spokesman said: 'While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line without values.
'We have robust processes in place, and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.'
The BBC is under pressure to conduct a thorough investigation because the allegations come only weeks after it published an independent review into workplace culture.
Samir Shah, the corporation's chairman, said after publication of the review that there was no place at the BBC for those who 'abuse power or punch down or behave badly'.
The review told of 'untouchable' star names who were allowed to get away with bad behaviour, but also referred to some executives.
It said: 'We heard about a minority of people who behave unacceptably and whose behaviour is not addressed and impacts employees and freelancers. These people work in both on and off-air roles, dotted across the organisation in different functions and departments.
'They are often in positions where power could be abused. Even though they are small in number, their behaviour creates large ripples, which negatively impact the BBC's culture and external reputation.
'[The BBC] states it has zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour, but the words do not align with the actual experience of some people working with or for the corporation.'
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