Following the reports of two actresses who accused former Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick of rape, the BBC has officially cut ties with the actor. He was set to appear in an upcoming holiday special called Ordeal By Innocence based on an Agatha Christie story as well as White Gold, which also airs on Netflix.
Actresses Kristina Cohen and Aurélie Wynn accused Westwick of raping them approximately three years ago, and both shared strikingly similar stories. When Cohen first came out with her story, Westwick denied her claims, even going as far as to suggest he didn't know who she was.
Westwick also denied the allegations made by Wynn.
The BBC, responsible for two of the projects Westwick was currently working on, said in a statement:
"These are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied. The BBC is not making any judgement but until these matters are resolved we will not include Ordeal by Innocence in the schedules. The independent production company making White Gold has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations."
Season 1 of White Gold is currently airing both on BBC and on Netflix, and filming for season 2 began in October. The BBC only claims that his contribution has been halted, so there is still a chance Westwick could return to the series.
Ordeal By Innocence is based on an Agatha Christie story and was slated to serve as a holiday season special for the BBC starring Bill Nighy. According toDeadline, the special was "set to anchor the BBC’s holiday programming." Amazon had bought the rights to air Ordeal By Innocence in America.
