Former S4C boss Sian Doyle in hospital after damning report into bullying allegations

December 07, 2023

The former boss of a TV channel is in hospital after the publication of a report into bullying allegations.

Sian Doyle had been the chief executive of Welsh-language broadcaster S4C since 2022 but was sacked last month after allegations of bullying.

Ms Doyle's husband Rob said she was taken to hospital after he found her "unresponsive".

It comes after an inquiry into allegations of bullying at the channel.

The probe, conducted by law firm Capital Law, published its report on Wednesday.

It found Ms Doyle's leadership style to be "dictatorial" and "creating a culture of fear".

Ms Doyle has previously claimed she suffered "a sustained pattern of retaliation, unfair treatment, and wider bullying" at the hands of S4C's chairman.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, members of the S4C Authority - the body which oversees the management of the broadcaster - said they "would like to say sorry to those who have had to tolerate unacceptable behaviours in the workplace and for the upset that this has caused".

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S4C said the chairman had nothing further to add to Wednesday's statement.

Mr Doyle said the report was "heavily biased" and that its framing was "cruel".

He added the last 24 hours had seen his wife "torn apart in the media after an exceptional 30-year career because of a one-sided report".

Mr Doyle claimed the report was "designed to be an assassination of her character".

A DCMS spokesperson 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."

S4C was launched in 1982 after a campaign to establish a Welsh-language channel.

"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," Mr Doyle said.

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

He said he had "watched in horror and disbelief" as his wife had been "hunted over the last seven months".

"The person represented in yesterday's supposedly 'independent' report was unrecognisable from the woman I've loved for the past 37 years, or the woman her friends and former colleagues know," he added.

A spokesperson for S4C said the news about Ms Doyle was "very worrying".

"We are thinking about her and the family," they said in a statement. "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."

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