BBC staff in 'uproar' over new canteen rule limiting them to six chips each

BBC staff are said to be in “uproar” after the corporation’s canteen instigated a “six chip” rule for cooked meals.

Servers in the kitchens at Broadcasting House caused widespread bafflement after they were seen individually counting out chips as part of a new quota for employees.

Rebellion quickly started brewing among the BBC's staff over the policy, some of whom took to social media to express their dismay.

Sharing a picture of his pitiful six chips on Twitter, Arif Ansari, head of news at the BBC Asian Network, wrote: “New rules in the BBC canteen limit the number of chips to six.

“The staff seemed shocked that I didn’t go with the unlimited couscous instead.”

Presenter Sheetal Parmar suggested they should “revolt” over the measures, while employees from the BBC’s Salford hub boasted of their canteen’s largesse.

Dom Stirling, a freelance producer for BBC radio, disclosed details of the new chip regime to dispel any misconception that the “BBC was a glamorous place to work”.

He wrote: “There is currently uproar in the canteen as the ‘6 chip rule’ is introduced.

“In which servers are instructed to individually count out 6 chips per person.”

Others were simply left confused by what they saw, with Charlotte Baker, a BBC researcher, saying she had “wondered why the server in the canteen appeared to be counting”.

Mr Stirling responded: “I thought she was joking!”

The BBC scrambled to deny the existence of a six chip rule when approached by The Daily Telegraph.

Despite being presented with accounts from several members of staff, a spokeswoman insisted: “It’s not true. As far as I’m concerned, it is not the rule.”

Asked why staff would be discussing a crackdown on chip consumption if none existed, the spokeswoman said she was “not sure”, adding: “There is no six chip rule.”

The BBC refused to comment on whether the policy was the result of a member of the canteen staff going rogue.

Further steps to quell the crisis were then taken by the BBC’s press office, which shared a picture of a dish from the canteen containing an enviable 10 chips.

It wrote on Twitter: “There’s something a little fishy about this as there is definitely no six-chip rule (see today’s lunch for evidence!)”