BBC settles £400,000 with Oscar‑winning producer after antisemitism complaint

The BBC has paid Oscar‑winning documentary executive Lucie Kon a £400,000 settlement after she said she faced antisemitic remarks from colleagues following the 7 October attacks. ## What Happened Lucie Kon, a commissioning editor who oversaw documentaries such as “Mr Nobody Against Putin”, was made redundant in a BBC restructuring. She says the payment covered redundancy back‑pay and a personal‑injury settlement linked to the way the process was handled. Kon told The Telegraph that BBC staff called Zionists “evil” after the attacks and that a colleague warned her she must label both Hamas and Israel as terrorists if she called either a terrorist. She also said she felt “like a Jew stamped on my forehead” and became “a problem” for the corporation. ## Reaction The BBC said it did not uphold any antisemitism allegations but acknowledged “shortcomings” in how Kon was treated, describing the impact as personal. It did not detail what those shortcomings were. The corporation thanked Kon for noting that the BBC is not institutionally antisemitic and called her a valued staff member with many years of service. Kon had helped lead a Jewish staff group and raised concerns with then‑director‑general Tim Davie. She said her religion had not been an issue at the BBC until the October 7 attacks, but later told LBC the organisation was not institutionally antisemitic. ## Context Workplace complaints of antisemitism have risen in several UK institutions since the October 7 events, prompting internal reviews and external scrutiny of staff handling and settlement practices.