S4C: TV boss in hospital after bullying allegations

Sian Doyle was recently sacked as head of S4C

A TV boss who was sacked over bullying allegations is in hospital after taking an overdose, her husband has said.

Sian Doyle, former chief executive of Welsh language channel S4C, was found unresponsive on Thursday morning, her husband said in a statement.

Rob Doyle claimed a report into the bullying allegations was "one-sided" and "the last straw" for his wife.

S4C said the news was "very worrying" and it was thinking about Ms Doyle and her family.

The report by legal firm Capital Law, published on Wednesday, included criticism of Ms Doyle's time at S4C.

Ms Doyle has said she did not "recognise or accept" the allegations made in the report after it was published.

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She also repeatedly called on the UK government to investigate leadership and governance at the publicly-funded channel.

In a statement sent to Newyddion S4C on Thursday through a London-based PR company, her husband confirmed she had taken an overdose and said she had been "torn apart in the media".

"As her husband, I now have to speak up on her behalf," Mr Doyle said.

"The last 24 hours have seen my wife torn apart in the media after an exceptional 30-year international career because of a one-sided report, commissioned and directed by S4C's chairman.

'Lack of duty of care'

"Sian was so proud to have been asked to come out of retirement to lead an organisation that, as a young girl, she campaigned to set up.

"But that pride turned into frustration, and then to disappointment, fear, and finally despair.

"Sian has spoken about the chairman's role in this, but S4C's board are also culpable; their complete lack of duty of care for Sian, and their lack of oversight or challenge of the chairman, must be answered for."

S4C chairman Rhodri Williams has been accused of "wider bullying" by Sian Doyle

Mr Doyle said the woman represented in the Capital Law report "was unrecognisable from the woman I've loved for the past 37 years, or the woman her friends and former colleagues know".

He also said he had "watched in horror and disbelief as my wife has been hunted over the last seven months", and described attacks on her character and reputation as "appalling".

"This has to stop. No organisation should be run like this, let alone one that is funded with public money," he added.

"I am now insisting that the privacy of my wife and my family is respected so that she can, hopefully, recover and we can get on with our lives."

Mr Doyle said his wife had previously called on UK government Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to launch an independent investigation into the governance of S4C, "but the secretary of state has done nothing".

Following her sacking, Ms Doyle claimed she had faced "unfair treatment, and wider bullying" from S4C chairman Rhodri Williams.

It has also been announced that an evidence session due to be held by MPs with Mr Williams has been cancelled.

The House of Commons' Welsh Affairs Select Committee had been due to hear from him next Tuesday. No reason has been given publicly for the cancellation.

'Thoughts and prayers'

In a statement, S4C said: "The news about Sian Doyle is very worrying and we are thinking about her and the family.

"We have offered our support to the family during this difficult time.

"Our hope is that she will recover quickly, and we wish her all the best for the future."

The UK government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms Doyle and her family at this incredibly difficult time, and we wish her a speedy return to health.

"We expect the board of S4C to address the issues identified in the independent investigation by Capital Law as a matter of urgency. We have been in regular contact with S4C throughout this investigation and will remain so.

"Public service broadcasters, like every organisation, have a responsibility to uphold a duty of care to all employees."

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