Miriam Margolyes, Alexei Sayle, and Juliet Stevenson are among hundreds of actors, writers and media figures who signed a letter on Wednesday to BBC management calling for the removal of Robbie Gibb over claims of conflict of interest regarding the Middle East.
The signatories also include 111 BBC journalists who express “concerns over opaque editorial decisions and censorship at the BBC on the reporting of Israel/Palestine”.
Pointing out the documentary, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which the BBC commissioned first but then shelved as it said it “risked creating a perception of partiality”, the letter said that the decision to drop the film “demonstrates, once again, that the BBC is not reporting ‘’without fear or favour’ when it comes to Israel”.
The documentary, which was aired on Channel 4 Wednesday night, recounts how health system in the Gaza Strip have been overwhelmed, bombed and raided amid ongoing Israeli assaults.
The letter also accuses the BBC of being “crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government” and claims the “inconsistent manner in which guidance is applied draws into focus the role of Gibb, on the BBC Board and BBC’s editorial standards committee”.
Gibb, who is ex-Prime Minister Theresa May’s former communications chief and a former head of the BBC’s Westminster political team, led the consortium that bought the Jewish Chronicle in 2020 and was a director of Jewish Chronicle Media.
