‘Burke’s Backyard’ star Don Burke accused of sexual harassment by female employees

TV gardener Don Burke has been accused of indecent assault and sexual misconduct by a number of female employees. The titular star of the now-defunct “Burke’s Backyard” has denied allegations that he was a “psychotic bully,” “misogynist” and “sexual predator.”

As a joint ABC/Fairfax investigation has uncovered, Burke, 70, allegedly bullied and indecently assaulted employees from the late 1980s to 1990s during the 17-year run of “Burke’s Backyard” on Channel Nine. More than 50 women said he was “horrible” and a “disgrace.”

“He was a vile, vile human being,” Bridget Ninness, a former producer on the show, said. She had launched a legal action against Burke for psychological abuse. “He was lewd and crude,” she continued, adding Burke was constantly talking about sex in a bid to “confront you and to demean you.” She said she was never sexually harassed by Burke but he bullied him relentlessly.

Former researcher Louise Langdon alleged Burke tried to remove her top and even “put his foot into my rear end, with the view to checking the tone of my … backside” in another occasion. Burke even apparently told her that the firmness of her rear wasn’t “up to scratch.”

Another researcher said she had a job interview at night at Burke’s home. The taxi driver who drove her to the venue expressed concern for her safety because he had heard things about her and so he insisted on waiting for her. During the interview, Burke allegedly told her that she could call the receptionist “fat c---” because that’s what they called her.

The woman, who asked not to be named, started to work for him about a month after. In one incident, she said Burke told her that he loved cocktail parties because women wore name tags, and he could pretend to read their name while grabbing their breasts. Burke suddenly grabbed her and then grabbed her by the breast.

They were just a few of the women who spoke to the ABC and Fairfax against Burke. Former Nine CEO Sam Chisholm described Burke as a “disgrace,” while her predecessor, David Leckie, called him a “horrible, horrible, horrible man.”

Burke’s show was a money-maker for the Nine Network, and that’s why the network did not act on complaints about his inappropriate behaviour towards women, according to former colleagues. “Burke’s Backyard” was one of the most popular shows on television for 18 years before it ended in 2004.

Burke has vehemently denied the accusations, claiming his accusers bear a strong grudge against him because of his strict work ethics. He said he was a perfectionist who demanded excellence in his production company, so he had to dismiss some of his underperforming employees.

“I also believed this publication is opportunistic and intended to severely damage my reputation, by trying to link my alleged behaviour with the appalling behaviour of Harvey Weinstein, which has gained a lot of media traction,” he said in a statement through his lawyer Patrick George. He was referring to the disgraced Hollywood bigwig, who has been accused of dozens of women of rape, sexual assault and more.