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A "large number" of current and former ITV employees have made claims about a toxic working culture on daytime shows including This Morning, an MP has said.

The House of Commons media committee has received allegations of harassment, bullying and discrimination, according to its chair Dame Caroline Dinenage.

The claims have been made since the MPs questioned ITV's boss in June.

ITV said it took complaints seriously, but that it could not act unless such allegations were made directly.

The broadcaster's chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall appeared before the committee following the fallout from an affair This Morning's former presenter Phillip Schofield had with a much younger colleague.

That sparked allegations from people including Dr Ranj Singh, who used to regularly present segments on This Morning, of a wider toxic culture at the programme.

However, Dame Carolyn told the MPs she did "not recognise that in This Morning".

In a letter published on Wednesday, Dame Caroline Dinenage told the ITV boss she and other committee members had been contacted by a "large number of individuals" in the weeks after her appearance in Parliament.

"These individuals speak with great pride about working at ITV and are hugely positive about many of their colleagues," Dame Caroline said.

"However, they also raise claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment."

Some "have described how their decision to raise concerns within ITV has led to further bullying and discrimination, and in some cases having to leave the organisation with a settlement agreement", Dame Caroline wrote.

"It is easy to understand why those individuals, especially where they have left ITV and do not wish to relive their traumatic experiences, do not feel capable of attempting to report their concerns, or that ITV will take them seriously."

In her letter, Dame Caroline also raised questions about the number of complaints ITV had previously said it had received from staff on the programme.

When she appeared before the committee, the ITV chief executive said the company had received two complaints about This Morning in five years.

However, Dame Caroline wrote that the committee had subsequently been contacted by other former and current employees who said they were "personally aware of multiple cases".

These individuals "appear to contradict your evidence that there have been only two complaints", the MP said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66448872