'We never tolerate unacceptable behaviour' BBC director-general says sorry over Strictly complaints

The BBC director general has apologised to anyone who has had an experience on 'Strictly Come Dancing' that "hasn’t been wholly positive".

Tim Davie has told how he felt "disappointed" to hear several celebrity contestants have complained about their time on the show, but he insisted the Latin and ballroom programme will "never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind".

Speaking at a news briefing following the release of the corporation's annual report, he said: "I’m very sorry that anyone has had an experience on Strictly that hasn’t been wholly positive.

"That’s something we do need to reflect on and I’m sorry about that.

"There are clearly learnings specifically about oversight in the training rooms that we had needed to address.

"There will be a degree of competitiveness and will to do well, but there are limits and the line should never be crossed. We never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind."

Davie also encouraged anyone who thinks there was "something wrong" with their 'Strictly' experience to "raise that" with the BBC.

He added: "'Strictly' is a wonderful show that brings a lot of joy to a lot of people and has done so for 20 years to both those involved with the show and to the millions of people at home.

"Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.

"At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us.

"Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.

"And while I'm not going to talk about individuals, you can see evidence of that in recent weeks.

"So I hope that anyone who does want to talk to us feels that they can."

His comments come after pro dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice both departed the series following allegations about their behaviour in training.

Pernice has denied "any accusations of abusive or threatening behaviour".

Di Prima was axed amid reports of alleged misconduct relating to how he treated his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer has since admitted he "deeply regrets" the events that led to his departure, and said his "intense passion and determination to win" might have "affected [his] training regime".

Zara previously said she "wrestled with the fear of opening up" about her experience on the programme, and claimed there are videos of "particular incidents, which are incredibly distressing to watch".

A BBC spokesperson previously said: "We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

"While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate."