Producer received £400,000 BBC payout after antisemitism concerns, report says

An Oscar-winning executive producer has claimed she received a £400,000 payout from the BBC after alleging antisemitic remarks from colleagues at the corporation. Lucie Kon, who worked as a commissioning editor, told The Telegraph that BBC colleagues said Zionists like her were "evil" following the October 7 attacks.

Kon's position was made redundant as part of a BBC restructure. She stated the payment she received covered redundancy back pay and a settlement for personal injury incurred during the process. The BBC has stated it did not uphold the allegations of antisemitism but acknowledged "shortcomings" in its treatment of Kon, which had a "personal impact" on her. The corporation did not specify the nature of these shortcomings.

Kon reported raising several concerns about her treatment after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. She told BBC News, "I really did feel like I had Jew stamped on my forehead. I became a problem. And anytime I tried to mention anything, it was like, 'Oh God, there she goes again.' I became a proper pain. They didn't know what else to do with me."

She also claimed a colleague told her, "if you want to call Hamas terrorists then you have to call Israel terrorists, too." Kon, who helped lead a group representing Jewish staff at the BBC, raised her issues with then-director general Tim Davie. She told The Telegraph that her religion had not been an issue during her many years with the BBC until the October 7 attacks.

Kon later stated on LBC that the BBC was "not institutionally antisemitic." The BBC acknowledged her statement, adding that Kon was a "valued member of staff with many years of dedicated service."