Teletubbies makers pay compensation to “faggot” actor
Ragdoll Limited, who make the Teletubbies have been ordered by an employment tribunal to pay £2000 to an actor who was called a “faggot” by a fellow cast member.
However, Issac Blake, 28, from Cardiff lost the majority of his case after being sacked as an actor for the BBC children’s programme In the Night Garden
Mr Blake had told the hearing that he was unfairly dismissed from his role playing a Tombilboo, a doll in the programme after complaining about a faulty animatronic suit and being verbally abused by a female member of staff.
He also claimed that he was victimised by the production company after he made the complaints.
The tribunal ruled that he was not sacked for raising health and safety concerns regarding the suit that he wore for filming, or for raising concerns relating to homophobia. The tribunal also found that Mr Blake was not technically an employee of Ragdoll but rather a self-employed contractor.
However, the tribunal recommended that the company provide staff with documentation on equal opportunities and appropriate language after Ragdoll admitted that a staff member called Mr Blake a “faggot”.
Marcus Difelice, representing Ragdoll, said: “We are very happy with the outcome.
“We had always accepted that another cast member had used the word faggot and we had spoken to her about that.
“We had asked her to watch her language and told her that was unacceptable.”
Mr Blake who represented himself at the tribunal said that his dismissal lead to him entering a “depressive state” that has been coupled with weight gain.
