A producer who has been dropped by Ricky Gervais’s comedy After Life after allegations of historic sexual misconduct has said he “strongly refutes” the accusations levelled at him.

Charlie Hanson was dropped from the Netflix comedy after the streaming giant was made aware of the historical allegations.

Filming of the third season has been underway in Hertfordshire, with filming crews spotted in Hemel Hempstead within recent weeks.

However it is believed that Mr Hanson has not returned to set since Monday (May 24) after the allegations were shared to Netflix.

But Mr Hanson, aged 68, has been subject to complaints from 11 women who have written to Bafta and Netflix outlining allegations of serious sexual assault between 2008 and 2015.

According to The Times, the women claim he preyed on them as young women promising a “starry career” under his wing before making sexual advances.

Alongside being dropped from After Life, Bafta has also suspended Mr Hanson after being presented with what it described as “very serious detailed allegations”.

Both Netflix and Bafta said they had shared the information with the police.

Charlie Hanson has been dropped from After Life, which is currently filming in Hemel Hempstead

Charlie Hanson has been dropped from After Life, which is currently filming in Hemel Hempstead

A statement from the producer said: “I have been made aware of allegations made against me concerning improper conduct towards women dating back many years.

“Based on the summaries that have been provided to me, I understand that many of these accusations are made anonymously and are demonstrably false.

“I have not had one complaint in decades of work in the media industry.

“I categorically reject any wrongdoing on my part, and strongly refute the allegations that have been levelled at me.

“I have worked with and supported hundreds of men and women during my working life and will do what is necessary to protect and/or restore my reputation.

“I will also cooperate with any formal inquiries. The matter is now in the hands of my solicitors.”

One allegation claims that a woman met with Mr Hanson in 2008 t0 discuss a script, which resulted in non-consensual sex.

Another woman said that Mr Hanson “acted as a mentor” but eventually sexually assaulted her at her home in 2015 when she was intoxicated to consent.

A spokesman for Netflix said: “On Monday, we received an anonymous email containing historical allegations about a producer on one of our titles.

“Whilst the allegations are unrelated to his time on the show, we immediately removed him from the production and referred the matter to the police.”

A spokeswoman for Bafta said: “We have been presented with a number of very serious detailed allegations about an individual and while we are not their employer we immediately took the decision to suspend their membership.

“Bafta is an arts charity and does not have the power to investigate historic claims of abuse therefore we have referred the matter to the police.

“The behaviour that these accounts allege is abhorrent, in complete opposition to Bafta values and has no place in our industry.”