Gay In The Night Garden actor branded 'a faggot' accused of calling women 'totty'

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Abuse: Isaac Blake, 28, told an employment tribunal that he was put in danger by being made to wear a faulty suit

Isaac Blake, 28, alleges that he was sacked from the children's programme In The Night Garden after complaining about a faulty animatronic suit.

He claimed he suffered an injured pelvis while wearing the chunky brown and pink costume to entertain millions of viewers as one of the three Tombliboos.

The 28-year-old said he had to go to hospital and was forced off work for a week after being made to bend over for long spells for close-up shots while wearing the suit.

At an employment tribunal, Mr Blake, a trained dancer, also alleged that he was discriminated against and verbally abused for being homosexual.

He claimed a colleague called him a "bitch" and a "faggot" but when he made a formal complaint, he was told to "shut up and get on with it".

According to Mr Blake, he also had to go to hospital after falling off a chair while filming.

He said he was finally sacked for complaining about a broken camera feed, which he used to see what he was doing.

But Marcus Difelice, representing the programme makers Ragdoll Limited, read out statements from production staff alleging that Mr Blake had made inappropriate comments.

One read: "Isaac was always making comments to me that were not acceptable. I had to say to him once, 'Why can't you have a conversation with me without looking at my crotch?'"

Another said: "He [Mr Blake] kept saying he was distracted by the totty on set." Mr Blake denied doing so.

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In The Night Garden: Blake played the pink Tombliboo

The tribunal also heard evidence today from Elisa Laghi, 31, who performed alongside Mr Blake as the pink and yellow Tombliboo during filming in 2005 and 2006.

The Italian actress admitted calling Mr Blake a "bitch" during an argument, but said she had used the word "faggot" on only one occasion, in jest.

She walked into a changing room and saw Mr Blake and the actor who played the third Tombliboo with their trousers down, she said.

"I said, 'Oh, you two look like a pair of faggots,"' Ms Laghi said.

She added: "I'm bisexual myself so I don't have a problem with people being gay."

The multi-million pound CBeebies series is filmed in a woodland, where the Tombliboos live and play in a round bush.

Made for the under-fours by Ragdoll Limited, the production company behind the hugely successful Teletubbies, it is about the dreaming time between waking and sleeping.

Since being screened in March last year, it has been a smash hit and exported to 120 countries.

At the hearing in Birmingham, Mr Blake claimed he had been 'bullied' into continuing in the suit as the company was more concerned with the shooting schedule than actors' safety.

He said he hurt his pelvis in May 2006, just over a year after starting on the show.

"I was told to lean right out over a circus stage to make sure I was in shot for a close-up," he said.

"This caused pain to my pelvis because of the angle I was leaning. I complained to the production staff but was told to carry on and subsequently got injured.

"I went to hospital and was off work for a week as my pelvis had come out of alignment."

In November 2005, Mr Blake said, he fell off a chair after being told to jump up and down on it despite a camera next to the eyes inside his suit cutting out.

"I had no way of seeing where I was going," he said.

"I told the production team my camera had cut out and they told me to keep going. I said I didn't feel safe but they told me to get on with it."

Mr Blake, from Cardiff, suffered bruising and was treated in hospital before being signed off for 24 hours.

The actor also alleged a co-worker, only known as Alicia, taunted him with the homophobic names.

He said he believed that if he had not complained about the suit or the verbal abuse his contract would not have been terminated in July 2006.

Mr Blake is accusing Ragdoll, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, of unfair dismissal.

Markus Difelice, for Ragdoll, said the company carried out rigorous health and safety checks. He said Mr Blake could have seen out of the suit with a second camera feed or a hole through the mouth.

He had 'over-acted' in the scene when he fell off the chair, added Mr Difelice.

The hearing continues.

 

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