Victoria Derbyshire was the subject of a workplace conduct investigation after complaints from multiple colleagues about her interactions with them. The probe came after the corporation finished its 2025 workplace culture review, putting one of its best-known presenters under fresh scrutiny.
That is why her name is being searched now. Derbyshire has worked at the for 30 years and earns up to £280,000 a year, making any internal dispute around her conduct especially sensitive inside the broadcaster. She declined to comment when asked about the case.
A source said she was accused of making some off-air colleagues uncomfortable with her tone and language. Derbyshire rejected that accusation. She accepted that she can be direct and exacting under the pressure of a newsroom environment, but she strenuously denied any suggestion that her behaviour amounted to bullying.
The probe is not thought to have upheld any allegation of bullying, but the way the outcome was handled left some complainants unhappy. People who raised concerns were interviewed during the investigation and later received an email in March saying their complaints had been heard, examined and taken seriously. They were not told whether the allegations had been upheld or dismissed, and those involved are said to be dissatisfied with the result.
That omission matters because the corporation’s own culture review said more transparency around complaint outcomes was needed to rebuild trust and confidence in how concerns are handled. It also said the does not have a toxic workplace, even as leaders have repeatedly said they will not tolerate behaviour that falls below expectations.
The process itself was run with outside help, including a PwC consultant seconded to the ’s HR team, and one person familiar with it said Derbyshire may have been given a warning about her conduct. It is still unclear whether she was formally sanctioned in any other way, leaving the most important question unanswered: what, if anything, the decided to do next.
Derbyshire remains one of the broadcaster’s most recognisable faces. She appeared on ITV reality series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020, hosted the Ukrainecast podcast after Russia’s invasion in 2022, and this year secured a UK exclusive interview with rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot before interviewing five women who experienced sexual abuse at the hands of Jeff.
A spokesperson said it does not comment on individual cases, but takes all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with its values. An ally described Derbyshire as very exacting, saying: “Nobody likes to be criticised, but if you’ve done s**t work, Victoria will call you out on it.”
