BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire has been cleared of bullying allegations following an internal investigation.
The Bafta-winning Newsnight host faced three complaints about her behaviour, which emerged as part of the BBC's 2025 workplace culture review. The allegations, which Derbyshire strenuously denied, were not upheld. However, the Times and Deadline reported that she may have been warned about her behaviour.
“BBC cleared Victoria Derbyshire of bullying allegations after investigation.”
Derbyshire, 57, was accused of making some colleagues uncomfortable with her language and approach. She accepted that she can be direct and demanding in the high-pressure newsroom environment.
A BBC spokesperson 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 with our values."
The case came to light as part of the BBC's 2025 workplace culture review. The review concluded there was no toxic culture at the broadcaster but said the corporation would act on the small number of cases where prominent figures did not behave acceptably.
The review followed a series of high-profile cases, including the conviction of former lead news presenter Huw Edwards for making indecent photographs of children, misconduct complaints involving presenters, and bullying allegations relating to the TV series Strictly Come Dancing. BBC leaders have said there is a "zero tolerance" policy for poor behaviour.
Derbyshire has been one of the BBC's most prominent presenters for decades. She was paid between £275,000 and £279,999 last year and was appointed as a lead presenter of Newsnight in 2022. She hosted the award-winning Ukrainecast podcast, which launched after Russia's invasion in 2022 and ran until December. In February, she secured a UK exclusive interview with rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot, and has interviewed women who experienced sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.
Derbyshire began her BBC career as a reporter for BBC CWR in the 1990s, joined BBC Radio 5 Live in 1998, and later presented shows including This Week, Victoria Derbyshire Interviews... and Panorama. She appeared on ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2020.