Evri seeks £1.2m in libel case against BBC over Panorama documentary
Parcel delivery company Evri is pursuing a libel claim against the BBC, seeking around £1.2 million in damages over a Panorama investigation that examined allegations from couriers and customers.
According to court documents, Evri argues that the programme, Evri: Where’s My Parcel?, damaged its reputation by suggesting the company relied on exploitative working practices and misrepresented the pay received by its couriers.
The company denies those allegations and claims the broadcast caused significant financial harm. It says it lost potential business worth more than £1.1 million after prospective clients decided not to award contracts, allegedly citing the programme as a factor in their decisions.
Evri is also asking the High Court to prevent the BBC from repeating the disputed allegations.
The BBC has not yet filed its defence and has declined to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing. However, the programme’s page on BBC iPlayer carries a notice stating that the broadcast is the subject of a libel claim brought by Evri. The page also includes Evri’s position that it disputes the allegations, maintains it offers a reliable delivery service and says its couriers earn more than the National Minimum Wage.
In written submissions, Evri’s legal team says company staff also spent thousands of pounds responding to customer concerns following the broadcast. The filing further argues that the programme could make it harder to recruit couriers in the future because of concerns about earnings, potentially leading to additional financial losses.
The case has not yet been heard by the High Court.