London TV worker: ‘I was dismissed from my job in Soho for being too good looking’

A London TV worker claims she was dismissed from her job at a Soho production company for being “too good looking”.

Emma Hulse says she was sent home from her freelancing shift at the central London TV company by a manager who told her: “You should be on a catwalk”.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Mayfair, said she was only five minutes into her eight-hour shift when her boss told her to leave.

Company UNIT TV, based on Great Marlborough Street, accepted the incident happened and have since dismissed the employee who was allegedly involved, who had only been working there for three months.

Ms Hulse told the Standard: “We were supposed to finish at 6pm and I got there for 9.30am and when I got there this other runner started explaining to me what I should do.

“Then they send me on a run. Then my agent text me that I’m no longer required.

“I got there and spoke to the line manager and he asked me, ‘are you a model? Are you not doing catwalks, why are you not at the front of house?’

“I was wearing a lipstick but from my perspective I was not inappropriate. I was wearing a shirt and trousers. I really didn’t think I looked inappropriate.

“Then he took my number, he suggested we go for a drink.”

She added: “I was quite disappointed to be sent home. I didn’t really know what to do.

“Maybe that company employs plain looking people and maybe if you don’t look that way they don’t take you, maybe I was a distraction.

“I do camera operating as well, I work for many different companies and no one has sent me home because of the way I look. Especially within a creative agency you should be free to wear what you want.”

Adam Luckwell, owner of the company, told the Standard the employee who was allegedly involved was dismissed at the end of a three month probation period.

“We found there were a number of things we were not happy with,” Mr Luckwell said. “We decided not to continue with the employment and terminated the contract within three months. We felt he was a bad fit for us and some of the things he was doing was not in line with the company’s policy”.