The BBC has a ‘talent’ problem

So here we are again – another well-known BBC presenter is facing a growing list of allegations of misconduct, tarnishing the image of the state broadcaster.

This time around it’s MasterChef presenter Greg Wallace. In the depressingly familiar pattern of previous scandals, we’ve learned that concerns had been raised repeatedly with the BBC, but no meaningful action had been taken against Wallace until the scandal broke. 

My colleagues and I, working in the newsroom as the Wallace story broke, ended up once again reporting on the failings and double standards of my employer, and wondering why our overlords seem unable to learn from past mistakes.

It’s worth stressing here that the dismay of the public is shared by the journalists who do the real graft at the BBC – the tireless staffers who make sure running orders are filled and hammer at their keyboards 24/7, writing the scripts their highly-paid presenter colleagues read out to unwarranted acclaim.