The makers of TV show SAS Who Dares Wins have released a new statement saying Ant Middleton's personal conduct was the sole reason he is leaving the show.
Ant, 40, had admitted that he made inappropriate comments on SAS Who Dares Wins - but claimed that it was purely "military banter” in an explosive interview on Good Morning Britain today.
The interview came after the Mirror told how female members of the crew raised concerns with makers Minnow Films and Channel 4 during an end of year review where they were allowed to speak anonymously. They said he had made “inappropriate comments” towards them.
However, a spokesman for Middleton had refuted the allegations, claiming that he is "always disciplined and utterly professional".
In a new statement released to the Mirror today, a Channel 4 Spokesman said: “Our decision not to renew Ant Middleton’s contract and not to work with him again was solely based on his personal conduct off-camera and is not related to his on-screen persona as a DS.
“SAS: Who Dares Wins will continue to be as tough as it’s ever been.”
The comment follows Middleton's appearance on ITV where he branded show makers Minnow Films and Channel 4's statements "very reckless and desperate" and accused them of trying to "protect their brand".
He said: "It's all smoke and mirrors. From the last episode of SAS: Who Dares Wins, when I filmed the last episode, it became a half-scripted sort of reality show.
"Full control was taken... for health and safety.
"And after that show, I said 'I'm not going to film any more, I'm done with SAS: Who Dares Wins'."
Middleton told the ITV show: "I wanted to part in a healthy way and in a positive way. And they knew that I was going.
"And all of a sudden they dropped this bomb... (that) I've been axed. And ultimately what they're doing is they're protecting their brand."
Middleton, who previously faced a backlash over comments he made about the Black Lives Matter protests and coronavirus, said the statement was "desperate".
"The course is a hardcore course... It's gritty, you're going to see inappropriate things, you're going to witness inappropriate things.
"Over the years, PC patrol have kicked in, the woke patrol have kicked in, to the point where we can't say anything, we can't be ourselves.
"And it's been so controlled and so managed and so inauthentic now that I've decided to walk away from it."
He added: "This isn't Dancing On Ice. This isn't a Celebrity Big Brother, even though it's turned into that... It's a reality show now."
Asked about reports that complaints were made by female crew about "inappropriate comments", Middleton said: "There's a new protocol that came in... that if they feel offended, or they want to complain, they can complain anonymously.
"So it's obviously something that they've seen... a bit of military banter, they've seen a bit of military humour... and they really felt offended."
In June, Middleton apologised after he referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as "absolute scum" as he complained about the "extreme left" and "extreme right" taking to the streets.
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Earlier this week they had informed Middleton he would no longer be working on the show or working on Channel 4 again.
In the first statement, Channel 4 said: “Ant Middleton will not be taking part in future series of SAS: Who Dares Wins. Following a number of discussions, Channel 4 and Minnow Films have had with him in relation to his personal conduct it has become clear that our views and values are not aligned and we will not be working with him again.”
They then released a new statement to the Mirror regarding complaints made against Middleton by the female crew on the show.
They said: “We can’t comment on anonymous allegations however we take issues of welfare very seriously. We clearly set out our expectations of behaviour in our Supplier Code of Conduct and any claims of behaviour that does not meet these standards would be looked into. We are satisfied that appropriate action has been taken.”
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