An urgent investigation has been launched after the BBC was forced to suspend all shows across their network that include the massively-popular Mr Tumble – this includes Something Special, a programme with millions of regular viewers.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson confirmed that while the talented actor Justin Fletcher has all of the necessary background checks in place to be able to work with children, his famous alter ego Mr Tumble does not, and a complaint from a viewer in Rochdale has left network bosses with ‘no choice’ other than to suspend the show until the correct checks have been carried out.
The Beeb spokesperson spoked: “We regret to announce that Mr Tumble will not be allowed to appear again on the BBC until we have obtained a current and valid ‘enhanced’ certificate from the Criminal Records Bureau.”
“Earlier this week, a complaint was received from a parent with an allegation that Mr Tumble does not have a CRB document in his own name, and we did some further checks to see if this was true. According to our legal representatives, it is not possible to obtain this sort of documentation in the name of someone who does not actually exist, and therefore we have been left with no alternative but to cancel all episodes of Mr Tumble’s shows until we can sort this out properly.”
“Unfortunately, anyone who pays their license fee has the right to get their complaints investigated, and failing to act appropriately is the last thing we need at the moment.”
We managed to track down the Rochdale resident who made the original complaint to the BBC. Mother of five Stacey Dipshil said: “I couldn’t believe it when Shell from the nursery told me that Mr Tumble probably don’t have a CRB check – it’s well crazy that someone who meets millions of kids every day doesn’t have a certificate. My boyfriend ain’t got one and they won’t let him work anywhere.”
In a separate Rochdale Herald EXCLUSIVE, we can also reveal that Postman Pat spent his entire acting career driving on a provisional licence.
We have obtained documents that show that on a number of occasions, he managed to escape arrest by telling an officer that Jess had been driving for more than three years on a full licence, and he also offered a ‘bribe’ of any parcel in his van.
