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Irish Independent
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Bridget Jones writer Helen Fielding claims she was ‘routinely groped' while working at BBC
The 67-year-old claimed it was commonplace at the time for men at the broadcaster to touch women's breasts during conversations. The author found fame in the noughties with her bestselling Bridget Jones novels, which were later adapted into a series of films starring Renee Zellweger Describing an alleged culture of harassment, she said: 'I worked at the BBC when I was in my 20s, and you just got used to the fact that people would actually put their hand on your boob while they were talking to you about work.' The author's comments, first reported by The Mail on Sunday, were made at the annual Soho Summit in Oxfordshire, last week. Ms Fielding claimed women at the BBC had grown resigned to the behaviour. 'It just seemed to be what you put up with,' she said. 'I first wrote Bridget pre-MeToo, and when I look at that film now, I can't believe that that stuff was going on,' she added. In scenes in the novels echoing her own experiences, Jones regularly fends off inappropriate advances − including from her boss Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant in the films, who gropes her in the office. She is also sexually harassed by Mr Cleaver's manager Mr Fitzherbert, who openly stares at her breasts. Ms Fielding claimed sexism remained deeply entrenched in the film world. 'I honestly think it's still there in the movie business, it's just under the parapet,' she said. 'I think there has to be a constant awareness of not being unequal in the way women are treated. 'You still have to fight much harder as a woman, even a successful woman, and you get treated in ways that men would not be treated.' Her first BBC role after graduating from the University of Oxford was working behind the scenes on Jim'll Fix It, the children's show later at the centre of a scandal when its host Jimmy Savile was unmasked as a paedophile. Ms Fielding has previously said she had concerns about Savile. She said in 2019: 'We always said, 'Don't leave Jimmy alone with the children'.' A BBC spokesman told The Mail on Sunday: 'We're sorry to hear of these experiences. 'Attitudes and behaviours have changed significantly in the last 40 years and the BBC − like the rest of society − is [a] very different place now from what it was then.' (Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd)
Metro
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Bridget Jones author claims she was repeatedly groped while working at BBC
The woman behind Bridget Jones has claimed she was groped repeatedly while working for the BBC. Helen Fielding, who penned the legendary 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary and spawned a multimedia franchise, joined the BBC as a researcher in 1979. After leaving the broadcaster, she worked as a journalist, where the idea for the Bridget Jones character began as an unattributed column in The Independent. From there, she became a novelist and penned several books, including three Bridget Jones novels—Bridget Jones's Diary in 1996, The Edge of Reason in 1999, and Mad About the Boy in 2013. The books became a major film franchise, with Renée Zellweger in the titular role of Bridget, starring opposite love interests Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. As a result, Helen, 67, is one of the biggest names in British publishing, but her latest story comes from when she was making her first steps in the industry. She joined the BBC at the age of 21, when, as she told the Soho Summit, workplace sexual harassment went unpunished across several industries and trades. 'I worked at the BBC when I was in my 20s, and you just got used to the fact that people would actually put their hand on your boob while they were talking to you about work,' she said, via MailOnline. Helen did not directly name any of her BBC colleagues in relation to her claims, nor did she directly accuse any other members of staff at the organisaiton. Describing groping as an everyday occurrence, Helen added that women her age were expected to 'put up with' harassment from older male colleagues. When contacted for comment, a BBC spokesperson told Metro in response to Helen's claims: 'We're sorry to hear of these experiences. Attitudes and behaviours have changed significantly in the last 40 years and the BBC—like the rest of society—is very different place now to what it was then.' Elsewhere, Helen also reflected on the industry as a whole and the era of Bridget Jones: 'I first wrote Bridget pre-#MeToo—and when I look at that film now, I can't believe that that stuff was going on,' she said of the male characters in the novel who harass Bridget on a daily basis. One such character, who makes it into the 2001 film adaptation, is Bridget's leering boss, Mr. Fitzherbert, whom Bridget refers to as 'Mr. T**spervert'. Speaking about the movie industry today, Helen argued that, while they might be better disguised, the same attitudes remain from the 1970s and 1980s. More Trending 'You still have to fight much harder as a woman, even a successful woman, and you get treated in ways that men would not be treated. And there's no denying that it is still going on and it needs to change.' Helen's first novel was a 1994 satirical story titled Cause Celeb, which was based on the relationship between celebrities and refugees in a fictional East African country. Aside from the Bridget Jones novels, she also penned the 2003 comic spy book Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, which tells the story of a woman following a man she believes to be a terrorist. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Xzibit reveals $1,000,000 reason he rejected Pimp My Ride return MORE: Disgraced BBC star Huw Edwards 'refuses requests to return £200,000 he was paid after arrest' MORE: 'I wrote huge songs with popstars at their lowest points but turned down millions'
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bridget Jones author was ‘routinely groped' while working at BBC
Helen Fielding, the Bridget Jones author, has alleged she was routinely groped while working at the BBC in the 1980s. The 67-year-old claimed it was commonplace at the time for men at the broadcaster to touch women's breasts during conversations. Describing an alleged culture of harassment, she said: 'I worked at the BBC when I was in my 20s, and you just got used to the fact that people would actually put their hand on your boob while they were talking to you about work.' The author's comments, first reported by The Mail on Sunday, were made at the annual Soho Summit at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire, last week. Speaking at the rural retreat, Ms Fielding claimed women at the BBC had grown resigned to the behaviour. 'It just seemed to be what you put up with,' she said. The author found fame in the noughties with her bestselling Bridget Jones novels, which were later adapted into a series of popular films starring Renee Zellweger. Reflecting on the era, she added: 'I first wrote Bridget pre- MeToo, and when I look at that film now, I can't believe that that stuff was going on.' In scenes in the novels echoing her own experiences, Ms Jones regularly fends off inappropriate advances – including from her boss Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant in the films, who gropes her in the office. She is also sexually harassed by Mr Cleaver's manager 'Mr Fitzherbert' – nicknamed 'T--spervert' – who openly stares at her breasts. Sexism 'still a problem in movie business' Ms Fielding claimed sexism remained deeply entrenched in the film world. 'I honestly think it's still there in the movie business, it's just under the parapet,' she said. 'I think there has to be a constant awareness of not being unequal in the way women are treated. 'You still have to fight much harder as a woman, even a successful woman, and you get treated in ways that men would not be treated.' Her first BBC role after graduating from the University of Oxford was working behind the scenes on Jim'll Fix It, the children's show later at the centre of a scandal when its host Jimmy Savile was unmasked as a paedophile. Ms Fielding has previously said she had concerns about Savile. She said in 2019: 'We always said, 'Don't leave Jimmy alone with the children'. 'But we were sort of 23, and you know ... I am sure the producers must have known. We didn't think he would do anything. But he was so creepy. We always stayed with the kids.'
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding: I was groped all the time by my colleagues when I worked for the BBC
Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has spoken out about being persistently groped while working at the BBC as a young woman, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The 67-year-old said it was common practice for men to touch women's breasts during conversations at the corporation in the 1980s. Exposing the shocking behaviour, she said: 'I worked at the BBC when I was in my 20s, and you just got used to the fact that people would actually put their hand on your boob while they were talking to you about work.' She told the annual Soho Summit at trendy Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire that women at the BBC were resigned to the everyday occurrence. 'It just seemed to be what you put up with,' says Ms Fielding, who rose to fame in the Noughties after her widely successful Bridget Jones books were turned into Hollywood films, starring Renee Zellweger as Bridget. 'I first wrote Bridget pre #MeToo, and when I look at that film now, I can't believe that that stuff was going on.' In scenes close to her own experiences, Ms Fielding's heroine is perennially fielding unwanted sexual advances from men, including her fictional boss Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant, who surreptitiously gropes Bridget in the office. The single, cigarette-puffing Bridget also fends off her lascivious boss Mr Fitzherbert – nicknamed 'T**spervert' – who blatantly stares at her breasts. The 67-year-old said it was common practice for men to touch women's breasts during conversations at the corporation in the 1980s. Exposing the shocking behaviour, she said: 'I worked at the BBC when I was in my 20s, and you just got used to the fact that people would actually put their hand on your boob while they were talking to you about work' Ms Fielding, who was interviewed by author Dolly Alderton at the annual festival, where other attendees included Hollywood actresses Rebel Wilson and Gillian Anderson, also said that sexism was still apparent in the film industry. 'I honestly think it's still there in the movie business, it's just under the parapet,' she added. 'I think there has to be a constant awareness of not being unequal in the way women are treated. 'You still have to fight much harder as a woman, even a successful woman, and you get treated in ways that men would not be treated. 'And there's no denying that it is still going on and it needs to change.' Ms Fielding's first experience of the BBC after leaving Oxford University was working behind the scenes of Jim'll Fix It, the children's TV show hosted by Jimmy Savile, whose unmasking as a serial paedophile caused a huge scandal at the corporation, which was accused of enabling his behaviour. She has previously said she had suspicions about the late presenter: 'Well, we always said, 'Don't leave Jimmy alone with the children'. Ms Fielding's first experience of the BBC after leaving Oxford University was working behind the scenes of Jim'll Fix It, the children's TV show hosted by Jimmy Savile, whose unmasking as a serial paedophile caused a huge scandal at the corporation, which was accused of enabling his behaviour. Pictured: Helen Fielding 1997 'But we were sort of 23, and you know.... I am sure the producers must have known. We didn't think he would do anything. But he was so creepy. We always stayed with the kids.' The author became a regional researcher for the BBC in 1979, as part of the news magazine Nationwide. In the 1980s, she produced and wrote documentaries in Africa for the first two Comic Relief broadcasts. After working as a columnist and journalist for several national newspapers, Ms Fielding began writing an unattributed column about her single life for The Independent entitled Bridget Jones Diaries in 1999. Her columns struck a chord with many single women and led to four novels and film adaptations. A BBC spokesman said: 'We're sorry to hear of these experiences. Attitudes and behaviours have changed significantly in the last 40 years and the BBC – like the rest of society – is very different place now from what it was then.'
