The BBC hoped a new initiative would finally tackle its ongoing workplace scandals — but it seems even the simplest messages aren’t surviving the wash.
A Mail on Sunday investigation reveals that the Corporation’s £20,000 mugs, emblazoned with slogans encouraging staff to “call out” bad behaviour, are fading after just a few weeks of use.
Call It Out Campaign Launched After Scandals
The mugs were part of the BBC’s broader “Call It Out” campaign, introduced in April by Director-General Tim Davie following a Workplace Culture Review.
The review had been commissioned after the high-profile Huw Edwards scandal and highlighted that “powerful figures” at the BBC had made colleagues’ working lives “unbearable.”
Spending on Office Accessories
The campaign wasn’t just about mugs. The Corporation splashed out £61,000 on office accessories, including 10,000 pin badges, 7,000 mugs, and 6,000 lanyards.
Of that, almost £20,000 went on the mugs alone, with more than £6,000 spent on the badges and lanyards.
Yet the expensive cups appear to have a major flaw: they aren’t truly dishwasher safe, causing the messages to peel off after a few washes.
Staff Frustration Grows
A BBC insider described the situation bluntly: “There was much fanfare around the launch of Call It Out after endless scandals that needed stamping out.
Now the bosses are feeling pretty mugged off after spending all that cash. It was a complete waste of money.”
A Year of High-Profile Controversies
This failed mug campaign comes amid a turbulent year for the Corporation.
In May, Gary Lineker, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, left Match of the Day after sharing an anti-Semitic social media post.
Last month, MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode were dismissed following allegations of misconduct and racist language.
Meanwhile, opera singer Wynne Evans lost his role at BBC Radio Wales after using a sexual slur during Strictly’s nationwide tour.
BBC Responds
A BBC spokesman defended the campaign, saying: “We have had no reports of any defects with our Call It Out materials, including the mugs, which are dishwasher safe.
If one did arise, we would raise these with our supplier.”
Lessons From a Fading Message
Despite good intentions, the Call It Out campaign serves as a cautionary tale: even with big budgets and visible messaging, changing workplace culture isn’t as simple as handing out mugs.
For now, it seems the slogans are literally washing away faster than the scandals.