A VETERAN broadcaster claims he was sacked for blowing the whistle on a "climate of fear" in the BBC studios in Tunbridge Wells.

Laurie Mayer, 57, told an Ashford Employment Tribunal that alleged bullying, harassment and an "atmosphere of intimidation" reduced young staff to tears.

As his former boss Greg Dyke, the BBC director-general, was facing the Hutton inquiry in London, Mr Mayer said in Ashford that Mr Dyke's failure to reply to his letter outlining his concerns about the studio's management style had forced him to go to the press.

Mr Mayer walked out of the studio just 10 minutes before he was due to front the BBC's flagship news programme BBC South East Today on June 26 last year. He claimed he was sacked, although the BBC says he chose to leave four months before his contract expired.

Mr Mayer sais he "felt shattered and completely undermined" when Laura Ellis, head of the South East region, blamed him for "terrible" viewing figures. He was "much too upset and angry" to present the show.

He alleges unfair dismissal on the grounds that he was effectively hounded out because of his repeated complaints about the BBC's management style. The National Union of Journalists is funding his case.

When he did not receive a reply from Mr Dyke, he wrote an article for the Mail on Sunday about what he claimed was going on in the Tunbridge Wells' newsroom.

He was paid £1,500 for the article. "The disclosures I made in the article were not for personal gain but solely to place my concerns in the public domain." He said there was so much "stonewalling and spin" from the BBC that he "had no option but to go to the press."

Questioned by BBC counsel Gerard Clarke, Mr Mayer agreed he had done it to apply maximum pressure to the BBC.

Mr Mayer said he had been looking forward to staying at the studio for at least three years. He and his wife, Jill, had even put their own house in East Horsley, Surrey, up for sale while they sought a new home in Kent.

But the move never happened because, Mr Mayer claims, the £69,000-a-year broadcaster and former public affairs director for Harrods, began a series of complaints to Laura Ellis, head of the south east region, about the studio's management style.

He singled out engaged couple Rod Beards, managing editor, and Davina Reynolds, for particular criticism.

It was unhelpful for partners to be working so closely together, deterring staff from complaining about Ms Reynolds.

He said that Mrs Ellis, Mr Beards and Ms Reynolds had all worked together in Birmingham and had come to Kent "as a team."

"People in the newsroom were already under stress from the very nature of the work," he said. "Many staff complained to me that management was adding to that stress by adopting bullying behaviour but they felt helpless to do anything about it. This was because Laura, Rod and Davina were very much a team and would always stick together."

He had taken up the case of the younger staff, reporting complaints to Mrs Ellis and senior executives. Action was promised but nothing happened, Mr Mayer said.

"I had seen a number of staff in tears and been told by them that their distress had been caused by the way they had been treated and spoken to by Davina Reynolds."

He was "shaken and incredibly disappointed" when his contract was only extended by six months to the end of October 2002, and told that the BBC wanted to try a "dual presentation" experiment.

When it started, he found himself "every other night perched on a stool in an alternative newsroom while the second presenter opened the show from the main desk."

He was then told to go to Brighton for a live link with what was supposed to be a samba band - linked to England's imminent World Cup match with Brazil - but turned out to be a group of senior citizens playing instruments for therapy.

He claimed this move was engineered. "I concluded I had been dropped in it and given a chance to fail. It was a complete farce."

The BBC later criticised his style, saying he was "pompous, lugubrious and at times overbearing." The tribunal heard that a viewer complained of his "stodgy approach reminiscent of the Sixties." Another said he was "far too rigid."

But others praised Mr Mayer, who became a local celebrity. One wrote he was "easy on the ear and a pleasure to watch," another that he showed "quiet flashes of humour, integrity and warmth." Some called for his reinstatement.

Following the near-unanimous passing of an NUJ motion, the BBC asked retired BBC executive Richard Ayre to investigate the complaints. Mr Ayre reported there had been "inappropriate management behaviour that could have led to people feeling intimidated."

Ms Reynolds was later moved to Birmingham where she works in the special features unit. She and Mr Beards are still engaged.

The hearing continues.