EastEnders appears to flout laws governing doorman recruitment

The offending scene saw Mel Owen, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, apparently hire Kush, played by Davood Ghadami, as doorman at the E20 Club after a brief interview in which he was only tested about his fashion knowledge.

Viewers blasted the programme for ignoring licensing laws by employing a doorman without background checks or training accreditations, according to the Daily Star​.

Licence revoked

Specialist licensing legal firm Poppleston Allen said the hiring did not seem right. Partner Graeme Cushion pointed out that any pub could have its licence revoked and be fined thousands of pounds for flouting the correct hiring procedures.

“Doormen have to go through a whole process of training,” he said. "This involves a number of days of training as well as the filling in of application forms."

Doormen and security staff have to be registered with the Security Industry Authority and are required to wear a badge that identifies they are trained and accredited.

Mr Cushion added his own spoiler to what was a good ‘red top’ newspaper story. “Technically he could have had the right qualifications, but that was not mentioned in the television programme,” he said.

Good recruitment 

Inadequate hiring processes can cause problems for employers further down the line. 

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and UKHospitality recently published guidance ​ to help employers in the hospitality sector in collaboration with conciliation and arbitration service Acas.

The guidance covers the whole employment process from recruitment to ending the employment relationship.

BBPA policy director Andy Tighe said: “The jointly written guidance will help any new start-up or established business deal with key employment-related issues.”