Who is Daisy Goodwin? All you need to know about the Victoria TV producer who accused a Downing Street official of groping

Daisy Goodwin said she was cross, but not traumatised, at the time
Getty Images
Eleanor Rose14 November 2017

Downing Street has been dragged into revelations of sexual harassment at Westminster after TV producer Daisy Goodwin claimed she was groped by a Government official at Number 10.

The creator of ITV series Victoria said she was left feeling "cross" after an official put his hand on her breast at the end of a meeting in Downing Street.

Writing in the Radio Times, Mrs Goodwin said: "I looked at the hand and then in my best Lady Bracknell voice said: 'Are you actually touching my breast?' He dropped his hand and laughed nervously."

She described leaving Downing Street in a state of "high dudgeon", but that she did not report the incident. "By the next day it had become an anecdote, The Day I Was Groped In Number 10," she wrote.

Who is Daisy Goodwin? Here's all you need to know about the TV producer.

What is Daisy Goodwin known for?

A Cambridge history graduate, Ms Goodwin studied at Columbia Film School and spent ten years at the BBC making arts documentaries.

Then she left to join the independent sector and created a number of shows including Channel 4's Grand Designs. In 2005 she started her own production firm Silver River, which she then sold to Sony.

Daisy Goodwin has created several hit shows including Grand Designs
PA

Alongside her TV work, she wrote a memoir Silver River and two novels, both New York Times bestsellers.

In 2014 she was commissioned to write her first screenplay, Victoria, an eight-part series for ITV about the early life of Queen Victoria, starring Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman.

What does she say happened at No 10?

Ms Goodwin said the official, who was a few years younger than her, showed her into an office at Downing Street to discuss a proposed TV show.

When they sat down next to one another, she was surprised when the official put his feet on her chair, and said her sunglasses "made me look like a Bond Girl", she said.

Mrs Goodwin said she was astonished by the move
PA Wire/PA Images

She tried to divert the conversation back to the TV programme, but according to Mrs Goodwin: "At the end of the meeting we both stood up and the official, to my astonishment, put his hand on my breast."

The official has not been named but Mrs Goodwin said the incident took place when David Cameron was prime minister.

What is her reaction to the alleged groping incident?

Mrs Goodwin has described herself as being cross at the time, but not traumatised.

She said she was concerned that the man involved may have "tried it on" with someone less able to cope with the situation.

"Now, in the light of all the really shocking stories that have come out about abusive behaviour by men in power from Hollywood to Westminster, I wonder if my Keep Calm and Carry on philosophy, inherited from my parents, was correct? The answer is, I am not sure," she wrote.

"I think humiliating the official was probably the appropriate punishment, but suppose he tried it on with someone less able to defend themselves?"

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in