BBC unveils restored controversial Eric Gill statue

A controversial statue carved by the sculptor Eric Gill has been restored and has been unveiled outside the BBC’s London headquarters.

The Grade II-listed statue was damaged in 2022 and 2023, when it was attacked by a member of the public with a hammer.

Gill was among the most prominent sculptors of the 20th Century. But after his death in 1940, his diaries revealed he had sexually abused his daughters.

A BBC spokeswoman said on Wednesday the corporation “in no way condones Gill’s abusive behaviour” but that it “draws a line between the actions of Gill, and the status of these artworks”.

There have been calls in recent years for Gill’s 1930s work – which depicts Prospero and Ariel from William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest – to be removed from the BBC’s Broadcasting House.

The restored sculpture will be displayed alongside a QR code which links to information about the history of the building, Eric Gill and the sculpture’s restoration.

Last month, David Chick of Northamptonshire pleaded not guilty to causing more than £150,000 worth of damage in Portland Place in May 2023.

The BBC said the estimated total costs of the restoration and protective work was £529,715. It’s understood the cost has been covered by the BBC rather than claimed on insurance.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “When the building was subject to serious criminal damage, on two occasions, there were no easy options for addressing the destruction caused.

“Having sought expert advice and opinion, we repaired the façade in line with the building’s Grade II* status.”

She noted that working with Historic England and Westminster City Council, they had also installed a protective screen in front of the sculpture “to avoid future damage”.

Historic England CEO Duncan Wilson said: “We recognise that since details of Gill’s abusive behaviours came to light in the late 1980s, he has understandably become a controversial character.

“We welcome the BBC’s approach to repairing the sculpture and providing interpretation which explores this complex history.

“This is in line with our approach of encouraging thoughtful, long-lasting and powerful (re)interpretation of contested statues and sites which keeps their physical context but adds new layers of meaning and understanding.”

In 2023, David Chick of Northamptonshire was arrested after allegedly climbing scaffolding at Broadcasting House and hitting the statue with a hammer.

BBC staff reported hearing a man shout “paedophile” as he struck the statue.

Mr Chick was already facing trial for criminal damage to the same statue during a previous incident in 2022.

In March 2025, the judge released him on conditional bail and ordered the defendant not to go within 100m (328ft) of the statue.

A trial date was set for May next year, also at Southwark Crown Court.

The Prospero and Ariel statue has been on display at the BBC since 1933.