Bbc presenter Kaye Adams axed from £155,000-a-year radio role after misconduct findings
Kaye Adams will not return to her Scotland programme after a disciplinary probe upheld three misconduct complaints, a development that ends her run on the station’s Mornings With show and comes as bosses have already lined up a replacement.
Probe found three complaints upheld but two were rejected
The disciplinary investigation upheld three misconduct complaints against Adams while two other complaints of bullying were not upheld. The probe concluded that she had behaved inappropriately on multiple occasions, including swearing at a colleague, throwing a pen at a producer and berating an intern’s professional ability.
Incidents detailed in the inquiry and staff reaction
One incident in the record says Adams used the offensive c-word against a colleague more than a decade ago, prompting that person to refuse to work that day; another episode left a colleague stepping in minutes before a programme was due to go on air. A former colleague said the licence-payer-funded broadcaster had taken action too late and added, "Senior producers acknowledged how difficult she was but did very little to protect the staff team from the excesses of her behaviour. Tears were common and stress levels through the roof, for everyone. "
Replacement named and presenter's departure from the station
bosses have lined up broadcaster and DJ Grant Stott as Adams’s replacement. Staff on the programme were briefed a week ago that they should not expect her return, and Adams has now parted company with the corporation after 15 years at Scotland.
Suspension last October and Adams’s response
Adams, 63, was suspended on October 7 last year following an internal complaint and initially said she had not been told the details of the allegations; she has said her name was "dragged through the mud. " In October she also said she had been badly affected by the probe, admitting last month that she had lost weight and "hadn't felt like eating. "
Career background and other work
Born in Falkirk, Adams has worked as a journalist and presenter for nearly 40 years. She joined Scotland in 2010 to host the daily phone-in Call Kaye, which ended in 2015, and later fronted The Kaye Adams Show and Mornings With, presenting several times a week. She is still a regular panellist and presenter on ITV's Loose Women, and many fellow presenters, including Denise Welch and Nadia Sawalha, have expressed support.
How the corporation has responded and schedule changes
The corporation has said it will not comment on individuals or internal processes; some complaints were upheld while others were rejected. The presenter line-up on Mornings With will remain the same in the immediate future: Connie McLaughlin will present Mornings With from Monday to Wednesday, with Stephen Jardine presenting on Thursday and Friday.
Adams also hosts a weekly podcast, How to Be 60, with Karen MacKenzie and has spoken there about the stress she experienced during the probe. Last year the corporation launched the "Call it Out" scheme to enable staff to challenge and report poor behaviour, a response to an independent report that found a small number of stars and managers "behave unacceptably" and that bosses sometimes fail to tackle them.
The next confirmed changes are the immediate presenter rota for Mornings With, with Connie McLaughlin on Mondays to Wednesdays and Stephen Jardine on Thursdays and Fridays.
