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Chilling details have emerged of the sexual assault allegations levelled against a star TV producer behind some of Britain’s biggest comedy shows.
Charlie Hanson, 68, who has worked on After Life, Extras, Desmond’s and Birds of a Feather, faces accusations of misconduct from 11 women.
The alleged victims wrote a letter to Netflix and Bafta about incidents between 2008 and 2015 including claims of unwanted sexual advances.
It is claimed Mr Hanson preyed on them when they were younger ‘promising them a starry career under his wing’.
Charlie Hanson, 68, (pictured with Diana Chire and Aggy Adams) who has worked on After Life, Extras, Desmond’s and Birds of a Feather, faces accusations of misconduct from 11 women. There is no suggestion the women pictured are the accusers
Ten of the women have also spoken to Channel 4 News, claiming Mr Hanson had a ‘conveyor belt of young women’ he would groom with promises of career progress before sexually assaulting them.
One woman, named as Emma, says Mr Hanson acted as a ‘mentor’ when she was starting out and gained her trust over years, but after going for a drink one night her memory became hazy shortly before Mr Hanson walked her home.
She said: ‘He does gain your trust, and it’s only when you have a moment of vulnerability that he abuses that, and that’s why it comes as quite a shock.
‘My memory is very blurry, I remember he took my clothes off and I pushed him away or tried to push him but he persisted and said “shhh, it’s ok”. It was like I was blacking out and every time I woke up he was engaging in sexual activity with me.’
Ten of the women have also spoken to Channel 4 News , claiming Mr Hanson had a ‘conveyor belt of young women’ he would groom with promises of career progress before sexually assaulting them. Pictured: Mr Hanson with After Life star Ricky Gervais in 2016
Amma Asante, who was previously married to producer Charlie Hanson, called the allegations against him ‘devastating’, adding that she stood ‘wholeheartedly’ with the victims
Ricky Gervais, with whom Mr Hanson has worked on After Life and Extras, said he was ‘shocked and appalled’ to learn of the historical allegations
Another woman, Jemma, was a performer working on the acting circuit and says Hanson would introduce her to industry figures.
‘At the time I didn’t think anything of staying on his sofa, I kind of considered this person a friend’, she said.
‘He specifically said to “come and share the bed, it’s more comfortable you know, you can trust nothing is going to happen”.
‘I was on the edge of the bed, he came over right behind, put his arm around me that felt very uncomfortable. It was a really horrible experience because everything that I had believed up until then came crashing down at that moment.
Jemma still fears speaking out with the allegation due to Mr Hanson’s power in the industry.
‘He seems to have a conveyor belt of young women who he does the same thing to, he’ll offer to develop projects for them, give the impression that he’s going to help them with their career.’
The producer (pictured with Shanon Finley in 2014) has denied all the claims made against him and said he would assist any formal probe into his behaviour. There is no suggestion the woman pictured is one of the accusers
The producer has denied all the claims made against him and said he would assist any formal probe into his behaviour.
Hanson said in a statement: ‘I have been made aware of allegations made against me concerning improper conduct towards women dating back many years.
‘Based on the summaries that have been provided to me, I understand that many of these accusations are made anonymously and are demonstrably false.
‘I have not had one complaint in decades of work in the media industry. I categorically reject any wrongdoing on my part and strongly refute the allegations that have been levelled at me. I will also cooperate with any formal enquiries.’
He has since been dropped by streaming giant Netflix and lost his membership with Bafta.
‘Whilst the allegations are unrelated to his time on the show, we immediately removed him from the production and referred the matter to the police.’
A spokesman for Bafta said: ‘We have been presented with a number of very serious detailed allegations about an individual and while we are not their employer we immediately took the decision to suspend their membership.
‘Bafta is an arts charity and does not have the power to investigate historic claims of abuse therefore we have referred the matter to the police.
‘The behaviour that these accounts allege is abhorrent, in complete opposition to Bafta values and has no place in our industry.’
Charlie Hanson (pictured with Amma Asante and Abbie Cornish in 2018), who worked on After Life, Extras, Desmond’s and Birds of a Feather, faces accusations of misconduct. There is no suggestion the women pictured are the accusers
The 68-year-old Golden Globe winner (pictured with Ricky Gervais in 2017) is in the spotlight after 11 women wrote to Netflix and Bafta about incidents between 2008 and 2015
The alleged victims say Mr Hanson (pictured with Diana Chire and Aggy K Adams in 2018) preyed on them when they were younger ‘promising them a starry career under his wing’. There is no suggestion the women pictured are the accusers
The producer (pictured with Shanon Finley in 2014) has denied all the claims made against him and said he would assist any formal probe into his behaviour. There is no suggestion the woman pictured is one of the accusers
