BrewDog co-founder James Watt is to make an official complaint to the BBC over an episode of its Scottish documentary programme Disclosure.
James Watt (left) and BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie
He will also complain to Ofcom about the episode, which he described as “a hatchet job”. The programme was made in the wake of an open letter from former employees published last summer, which drew attention to bullying and misogyny allegations.
The programme interviewed several US BrewDog employees who accused Watt of unacceptable behaviour towards women.
In a LinkedIn blog, Watt writes: “We knew full well the documentary was never going to be anything other than the ‘malicious hatchet job’ our legal counsel described it as. Watching it, alone, in my office was savage. This was simply not the BrewDog I know and love. It was a malicious caricature, based largely on untruths. I utterly refute the characterisation of me as well.
“The most direct claim against me was that I stared at someone. But it was laced it with so much innuendo and smear that they got their desired effect, and now thousands of people, all over social media, were calling me some of the worst things imaginable.
“For the last eight months the waves of attack on our business have been pretty relentless. I feel terrible for our team to have to endure this for most of the last year. For that, I am sorry to our team and our community.
“From a personal perspective, to have the world at large falsely accuse you of terrible things is soul destroying. I am really concerned about the impact that this documentary has already had on our fantastic people. I am crushed by how this program has impacted my family. And the abuse our social media and our customer service teams have received is simply extraordinary. To them I apologise and thank them for their stoicism in the face of this storm.”
