More than 200 people from the TV and film industry have signed a letter to the BBC board calling for an urgent investigation into what it called “systemic problems of antisemitism and bias” at the corporation.

The letter said “208 BBC staff, contractors, suppliers and contributors from across the television and film industries, the majority of whom are Jewish” were in “anguish and disbelief” that complaints about coverage and social media posts during the Israel-Gaza war had not been dealt with.

A BBC spokesperson said it stood “united against any form of abuse, prejudice or intolerance”, and had “well-established and robust processes in place to handle any concerns or complaints”.

The letter referred to documents sent to BBC chairman Samir Shah, in which the group claimed there had been multiple breaches of the broadcaster’s social media guidelines.