Non-disclosure agreements silence young women in television production while protecting powerful male stars, according to industry disclosures prompted by allegations against television personality David Walliams.
- UK ministers are planning quick legislative changes to ban NDAs from covering workplace harassment and discrimination.
- Make-up artist Lou Teasdale said that gag orders and phone confiscation are standard protocols before women meet famous men.
UK government officials are exploring rapid legislative adjustments to expand protections against non-disclosure agreements following investigative reports by The Guardian and ITV News regarding David Walliams. The current Employment Rights Act bars NDAs from stopping employees from disclosing harassment or discrimination. Ministers are now evaluating ways to extend these measures to freelancers, contractors, and volunteers across the television, film, publishing, and sports sectors.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy addressed the House of Commons on Wednesday, agreeing on the necessity to dismantle enforced silence. The Culture Secretary will host a roundtable discussion with creative industries as part of conversations that include colleagues at the Ministry of Justice.
Make-up artist Lou Teasdale claimed that signing gag orders and surrendering communication devices is standard procedure before young women meet prominent men in the entertainment sector, as reported by The Independent.
“How can a man be expected to behave with any accountability when there is an agreement in place beforehand to remove the woman’s voice and the device that would keep her safe?” wrote Teasdale on Instagram, as cited by The Independent.
Teasdale worked on programs including Got Talent and The X Factor. She said that these preventative measures create widespread fear of litigation, effectively barring victims from speaking out about predatory behavior.
Writing on Instagram on Tuesday (11 November), Teasdale stated: “I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for a lot of years, the TV shows in question and with multiple celebrity men.” She added: “It is widely known and generally agreed that girls should sign NDAs and have their phones taken away from them before they are left alone with a famous man.” Teasdale also noted: “I do not accuse any of the people I worked with of ill intentions,” explaining that she was keen on exposing a culture where “a man’s privacy is being given more importance than a woman’s safety”.
Campaigners have intensified pressure on authorities following recent high-profile criminal convictions and ongoing media investigations.
“Extending protections over harassment and discrimination beyond employees is absolutely key, and this is something where we need to keep up the pressure,” Perkins told The Guardian.
| Sector / Participant | Current Legal Protection | Proposed Government Action |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Employees | Protected under Employment Rights Act | Enforce stricter regulatory oversight |
| Freelancers & Volunteers | Exempt from current workplace NDA bans | Extend anti-NDA protections immediately |
| Crime Witnesses | Restricted reporting to specific regulators | Allow open disclosure to media and public |
Further legislative revisions under consideration would permit victims or witnesses of crimes to disclose information to anyone, including media outlets, removing existing barriers that restrict reporting to specific regulatory bodies. Meanwhile, David Walliams has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
