Latest news with #WorkingTitleTV
Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Spooks TV boss set for payout over breakdown caused by sex claim
The television boss behind Spooks and Law & Order: UK is in line for a payout after he suffered a mental breakdown over a sex harassment allegation. Andrew Woodhead, the former managing director of Working Title TV, was suspended in 2019 after a writer levelled claims against him. The female writer complained that Woodhead had 'taken advantage of his position' and told her lurid details of his private life that were 'unwelcome' and made her feel 'uncomfortable'. She also accused the senior television executive of relating aspects of his sex life that she 'did not want to hear'. Woodhead denied some of the conversations happened and said others were innocent discussions in private — but he did not return to work after being suspended. He
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
TV boss behind Spooks and Law & Order UK wins payout after ending up in mental hospital following MeToo sex harassment claim against him
A TV boss behind Spooks and Law & Order UK is in line to win a payout after ending up in a mental hospital following a 'MeToo' sexual harassment claim against him. Andrew Woodhead was appointed managing director of Working Title TV UK in 2016, but in November 2019 was suspended after being accused of 'sexual harassment' by a writer working with the firm. The writer complained Mr Woodhead had 'taken advantage of his position' and told her lurid details of his private life which were 'unwelcome' and made her feel 'uncomfortable,' as well as aspects of his sex life that she 'did not want to hear.' She said her complaint aligned with the '#MeToo' movement, London 's High Court heard, which was sparked in response to sexual harassment claims against American movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Recovering alcoholic Mr Woodhead denied some of the conversations happened and said others were innocent chat in private, but never returned to work after his suspension. He was admitted to London's Nightingale Hospital on December 13 2019 and subsequently signed off sick while receiving psychotherapy treatment as an outpatient until his contract was terminated through redundancy in May 2020. WTTV Ltd settled the claim against them by the writer in June 2020, but the firm was later also sued by Mr Woodhead, who said the way the probe into his alleged behaviour was handled contributed to the 'psychiatric injury' after his 'breakdown'. Following a trial at the High Court, Mr Justice Swift has now ruled the TV firm was at fault, leaving the former exec in line for a compensation payout. Before joining Working Title, Mr Woodhead was executive producer at Kudos Film & Television, where he worked on multiple series of the BAFTA-nominated Spooks and ITV's Law & Order: UK. He also acted as an executive producer on the first season of Sky Atlantic's critically acclaimed psychological thriller Fortitude, Sky's Sinbad and also produced Abi Morgan's BAFTA-winning film White Girl. Working Title's previous TV successes include the drama 'London Spy,' World War One epic 'Birdsong' and comedies 'Yonderland' and 'You, Me and the Apocalypse'. The court heard Mr Woodhead - a recovering alcoholic who was particularly fragile and vulnerable to stressful situations - was called into a meeting by his superiors in November 2019 to discuss the allegations against him. That meeting, after which he was suspended, was 'badly handled,' which 'meant that the occasion was particularly traumatic for him,' the judge said. The judge said for Mr Woodhead's claim to succeed against the TV firm, it would have to be shown it was 'reasonably foreseeable' he could have suffered harm. 'Reasonable foreseeability depends on what the employer knew or ought reasonably to have known,' added the judge. The court heard WTTV Ltd had known Mr Woodhead was vulnerable from December 4 2019 after a medical report highlighted his battle with alcoholism. The medical report said the November meeting had been a 'traumatic event' which 'destabilised Mr Woodhead' and led to a 'relapse of his depressive illness'. 'It is essential that these treatments are effective and ongoing before Mr Woodhead is subjected to further stress,' doctors warned in the report, the court heard. Despite this warning, the judge found WTTV Ltd had acted in breach of its duty to take reasonable care not to cause Mr Woodhead psychiatric injury, by failing to tell him some of the allegations against him had been resolved in his favour or dropped. Also in early February 2020, WTTV Ltd attempted to pursue the disciplinary process even though Mr Woodhead remained on sick leave, he said. Accepting Mr Woodhead's argument, the judge said: 'WTTV Ltd decided not to tell him – as it could have done on Monday 2 December or any time after – that part of the complaint against him had been dismissed. 'In this way, WTTV Ltd gave, and throughout the conduct of the disciplinary process continued to give, a false impression of the extent of the matters that Mr Woodhead had to respond to. 'Had the accurate position been stated, whether on December 2 2019 or at any time thereafter, that might have reduced the stress that Mr Woodhead suffered.' Despite a sick note warning of Mr Woodhead's 'acute reactive depression and suicidal ideation', the TV firm continued to press its disciplinary process against him, the judge said. WTTV Ltd breached of its duty of care when a 'deliberate decision' was made to not it inform Mr Woodhead no further action would be taken on some of the complaints. The judge said WTTV's move on February 12, 2020, demanding Mr Woodhead to respond to complaints against him within seven days 'was not a reasonable course of action'. 'Mr Woodhead became emotionally distressed following the meeting on November 28 2019,' added the judge. 'The symptoms Mr Woodhead displayed by December 4 2019 amounted to a recognisable psychiatric injury; symptoms and the distress persisted and were the reasons why Mr Woodhead was admitted to the Nightingale Hospital for treatment on December 13 2019. 'The initial shock of the complaints made against him on November 28 2019 caused Mr Woodhead to "breakdown" and to display the symptoms that resulted in his hospitalisation on December 13 2019. 'These difficulties were then prolonged and worsened by what [Mr Woodhead] perceived to be the lack of being heard or understood and essentially being judged in his absence without him being given a reasonable chance to put his point of view across. 'WTTV Ltd's failure to tell Mr Woodhead that part of the complaint against him would not be pursued as a disciplinary matter was therefore significant. 'Had Mr Woodhead been given that information, that would have demonstrated to him that his response to the complaints was being heard and understood.' Ruling in his favour, the judge said he was 'satisfied' WTTV Ltd's 'failure' to inform Mr Woodhead about the scope of the probe 'did materially contribute' to his breakdown. The amount of damages Mr Woodhead will receive will be dealt with at a later hearing unless a settlement is reached. The judge was not asked as part of the case to decide whether the allegations against Mr Woodhead were true or that conversations he denied even happened.
