Ricky Gervais has said he is “shocked” and “appalled” after learning of historical sexual misconduct allegations against After Life producer Charlie Hanson.
According to The Times, Hanson has been accused of misconduct by 11 women, with the allegations ranging from between 2008 and 2015.
He “strongly refutes” the allegations made against him.
Ricky Gervais created After Life, which streams on Netflix. Pic: Natalie Seery
Ricky Gervais, who wrote, directs and stars in the Netflix smash After Life, said in a statement: “I am shocked and appalled to learn of the historical allegations made by a number of women against Charlie Hanson.
“The decision was made to immediately remove him from production and I am confident the matter is being handled thoroughly.”
Hanson, who also worked on other projects with Gervais such as Derek and Extras, has been removed from his role on the hit Netflix show and suspended by BAFTA as a result of what it calls “a number of very serious detailed allegations”.
A statement from Netflix said: “On Monday, we received an anonymous email containing historical allegations about a producer on one of our titles.
“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.”
BAFTA added: “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.
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“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.”
Hanson has responded to the allegations, and says many of them are “demonstrably false”, adding he has not had any complaints during his time in the industry.
“I categorically reject any wrongdoing on my part, and strongly refute the allegations that have been levelled at me,” he said.
“I have worked with and supported hundreds of men and women during my working life and will do what is necessary to protect and/or restore my reputation. I will also cooperate with any formal inquiries.”
It comes weeks after BAFTA suspended actor and producer Noel Clarke after more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying were made against him – claims Clarke “vehemently denies”.
Hanson, a vocal MeToo supporter, had previously criticised BAFTA over its response to the Noel Clarke allegations, saying it should have done more when it was first made aware of the claims.