Comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White has described an assault by a "high profile man" at a showbiz Christmas party during BBC Question Time this week. The disclosure came during a debate on protecting women and girls from men in power, following the Russell Brand rape conviction and allegations about David Walliams.
Assault at a Christmas party
Frances-White, creator and host of the comedy podcast The Guilty Feminist, said she was a plus one at a large showbiz Christmas party when the incident occurred. She did not name the man or provide details about the party.
She said: "A high profile man, a famous man, who runs in the same circles as those who have been in the news in the last couple of weeks did a turn around the room walked past me, put his face into my cleavage and moved his head back and forth, in the manor that some men call 'motoboating', unpleasantly."
"And he just kept walking. And he just didn't introduce himself, there was no flirtation, nothing. He just kept going like I was a vending machine and I just was so shocked." She added: "I knew full-well if I made a complaint I would be asked to leave the party, there's no question."
She explained that "he came around again and put his tongue in my mouth, he never said a single word to me."
Panel responses
Frances-White said she told someone at the party about his conduct, reflecting: "It's kind of a weird sticky feeling that stays with you but I don't feel massively traumatised, but many women would and especially if someone has been assaulted before it would be extremely triggering."
Asked by Fiona Bruce whether the issue spreads beyond entertainment, she replied: "It is wider, but the thing about fame is 'the talent is the product is the money'." She concluded: "We need to make it more expensive to harbour predators."
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said: "I would love to tell you that it is just this industry but we know full well it isn't." She noted that non-disclosure agreements silencing victims are still possible, adding: "The government has agreed to ban them. It's not enforced yet but I hope that they will do it sooner than later - they say September, I think they can go earlier." She concluded: "We cannot have people being paid off, women's silence, should not and cannot be bought."
Reform UK MP Matt Goodwin said: "I think it's important we acknowledge the bravery and the courage of the women who have spoken up and spoken out about these particular cases." Asked about his endorsement of Robert Kenyon, he said: "This is not about Reform UK this is about a problem that is endemic in our society." He concluded: "Everybody in this studio and watching at home knows that actually the issue is much broader than one political party." Asked if he agreed with Nigel Farage that this is how all men banter, Goodwin replied: "No I don't, that's not my view."
Defence minister Luke Pollard said: "This is a really important moment this week, it's a watershed moment where someone rich and powerful when a system was designed to protect them was held accountable for their actions." He warned against viewing it as "a bad apple", saying that would let down victims and "people in every single workplace in the country where any form of power can be used to intimidate, to abuse people."
BBC Question Time returns next week.
