Charlie Hanson, the producer of Netflix’s comedy show After Life, was ousted by Netflix and his British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) membership was suspended after the organisations received several complaints of Hanson being a sexual predator.
According to The Times, both Netflix and BAFTA received anonymous emails with complaints of 11 women who accused Hanson of sexual harassment from 2008 to 2015.
Hanson rubbished the allegations and told Deadline, “I have been made aware of allegations made against me concerning improper conduct towards women dating back many years. Based on the summaries that have been provided to me, I understand that many of these accusations are made anonymously and are demonstrably false.
“I have not had one complaint in decades of work in the media industry. I categorically reject any wrongdoing on my part, and strongly refute the allegations that have been levelled at me. I have worked with and supported hundreds of men and women during my working life and will do what is necessary to protect and/or restore my reputation. I will also cooperate with any formal inquiries. The matter is now in the hands of my solicitors.”
A Netflix spokesperson said, “On Monday, we received an anonymous email containing historical allegations about a producer on one of our titles. Whilst the allegations are unrelated to his time on the show, we immediately removed him from the production and referred the matter to the police.”
After Life creator and actor Ricky Gervais said in statement that he was “shocked and appalled to learn of the historical allegations”, adding: “The decision was made to immediately remove him from production and I am confident the matter is being handled thoroughly.”
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BAFTA’s spokesperson said in a statement, “We have been presented with a number of very serious detailed allegations about an individual and while we are not their employer we immediately took the decision to suspend their membership. The behaviour that these accounts allege is abhorrent, in complete opposition to BAFTA values and has no place in our industry.”
Hanson has worked on a number of shows including Birds Of a Feather, Not Going Out, and Derek, to name a few.
Significantly, BAFTA had earlier awarded #MeToo accused Noel Clarke for his contribution to British cinema.