Victoria Derbyshire investigated by BBC after complaints about behaviour

Allegations of bullying by Newsnight host not upheld after case emerges from 2025 workplace culture review

The BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire was the subject of an investigation over her behaviour, after multiple complaints were received by the broadcaster.

It is understood that three complaints about the Bafta-winning Newsnight host were received, which came to light as part of the BBC’s campaign to improve its workplace culture after high-profile cases of inappropriate behaviour.

Allegations of bullying, strenuously denied by the presenter, were not upheld by the investigation. However, the Times and Deadline – which first reported the investigation – suggested Derbyshire may have been warned about her behaviour.

The claims made against Derbyshire, which she denied, were that she had made some colleagues uncomfortable with her language and approach. She is said to have 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 emerged from the BBC’s 2025 workplace culture review. The review concluded that there was no toxic culture at the broadcaster, but the corporation vowed to act on the small number of cases in which prominent figures did not behave in a way deemed acceptable.

The review followed a series of cases, including the conviction of the former lead news presenter Huw Edwards, 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 become one of the most prominent BBC presenters, having spent decades at the corporation. She was paid between £275,000 and £279,999 last year and was appointed as a lead presenter of Newsnight in 2022.

Derbyshire, 57, appeared on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in 2020, and has fronted many prominent shows during her more than 30 years at the corporation. She hosted the award-winning Ukrainecast podcast, which launched after Russia’s invasion in 2022 and ran until last December.

Derbyshire also secured a UK exclusive interview with the rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot in February, and interviewed a group of women who experienced sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.

It 2023, it emerged that Derbyshire had been examining the conduct of Edwards , her former BBC News colleague, shortly before the Sun published claims about the newsreader.

The Derbyshire case is the latest to highlight the difficulties that can arise in high-pressure newsrooms.

Last year, it was reported that the editor of BBC Breakfast, Richard Frediani, was cleared of bullying allegations after an investigation. While some found his approach direct but fair, others thought it went too far.