STICKS AND STONE 9pm ITV - 16/17/18 Dec

[Blondeshavemorefun]

A 3 partner shown mon to wed this week

Sales associate Thomas faints at a pitch presentation and loses the sale

His colleagues then seem out to get him - is it bullying or banter

Looks good

There was a press release, including interviews with the creators and cast about the show. Mike Bartlett, and also the guy who played Andy, thought some of the scenes were meant to be humorous and funny, and then you end up with something shocking.

Their analysis, and thinking the general public are so thick they thought the bullying was funny, made me wince. It's such a sensitive subject matter and absolutely horrific the way they've portrayed it. They could have at least used employment law to get the facts correct - I've assisted with mediation in the past and no way would it be set up as three against one, it would be individual and only with both parties consent.

To me, this was trying to make fun of a very sensitive subject matter, and almost turn it into a pantomime. My Mum watched it last night and asked if this actually happens in the workplace - I said I deal with cases of it every week. People think they're going crazy because of these people, and Bartlett should have made sure that Thomas was the victim and everyone knew he was the victim rather than open to interpretation that it was a scam all along.

I once worked with someone who withheld information quite regularly. Its such a passive act when you see it as they aren't actually 'doing' anything at all. It always set me back at least a full day of work and I'd end up going in on Sundays to try and claw time back.

I felt myself put through the wringer. I thought it was 'good' but blimey, poor bloke. I remember when he was on the floor thinking wouldn't it be great if he recorded what that woman was saying to him. Of course, he did!. Was funny when she got the text and attachment and the knock at the door!

I came to the conclusion that he had planned all this as a way to become a millionaire. So had acted quiet and shy on purpose, I'm going to rewatch it because I'm clearly completely wrong

I don't agree at all FthisS

He was ambitious and wanted to make money through his own progression/promotion. Not unusual.

The team knew about the redundancies and planned the whole thing. It was exactly as Isobel said.

I was bullied by a guy who was claiming I was bullying him. The MD knew full well that the stuff he was saying was untrue but would do nothing. He even accused the MD to his face, with me there, of lying about something the MD himself had done (that bully was claiming I did to undermine him) and said the MD was covering up for me.

He also claimed that I tried to kill him because there was a fruit he was allergic to on a fruit platter.

I resigned.

Goodness @VanGoghsDog

You could almost be me. I got accused of trying to kill someone too. Not with an errant bit of fruit but actual poison....

My bully was an accomplished liar and reinvented the truth on a weekly basis. And even though I had so much proof, the management went for the lies. Realised too late and then lied their arses off to stop them getting taken down by it. Soul destroying.

I can’t afford to resign. But I will tell you this. That saying about a liar living in fear? I am biding my time.

I may be broken but I am still angry. I am going to legally rain on your parade because I found out something about you, you bald grinning bastard. Think on.

I also seem to remember Isobel saying she loved her life loved her flat no kids etc perfect car. Then towards the end we saw where she really lived and her children. Not sure if the relevance of that lie. Just trying to make him feel bad I guess.
I also wonder what happened with his daughter and her bully.

I know the mum said she’d been to the school but don’t know if that was the end of it or not.

Horrible for you! This guy was a liar but in a way he wasn't, he was deluded, he believed it.
He had mental health issues and the irony is that I was the one who supported him, encouraged senior managers to treat him properly etc. Then, as soon as he's back, he does that. It was ghastly, I started going in late and staying late because he tended to come in early and go early so at least I spent less time with him.
He complained I had a (very slightly) bigger office than him, even though he actually had two offices and the other one was huge. I didn't care and said I'd be happy to swap but he declined and just decided to put a desk in my office and sit in it with me. He would listen to my phone calls and question me about them. He would then turn his phone notifications on really loudly, leave the phone in my office and go and sit in his own office so I had all the notifications pinging all the time. So I'd take it through to him and say you've got emails and he say he knew because he was sitting at his PC and could see them. Bewildering. He did it all the time.

He wasn't supposed to have a blackberry as it was senior people only and I was senior to him (though not his direct line) and he whined so much about not having one that I said he could have mine (I didn't care, didn't want to be contactable 24/7 anyway) but he didn't want that and in the end the MD got special permission for him to have one and then he'd leave it in my office all the time.

Seem like silly little things, but they did my head in. Even the union during the numerous informal grievances he brought (he refused to ever bring a formal one) were gobsmacked at some of his wacky allegations.

I've just watched this, most disturbing TV I've watched in a LONG time.