The Old Vic has received allegations from 20 young men saying that they were victims of "inappropriate behaviour" by Kevin Spacey.

Fourteen of the allegations were so serious that the theatre advised the complainants to contact police. Most of the alleged victims were members of staff.

Spacey was The Old Vic's artistic director from 2004-2015. All but one of the allegations fall within that period, although one dated back to 1995 when Spacey was involved in an Old Vic production.

One of the men said he confided in a manager at the time but was ignored.

The “cult of personality” surrounding Spacey, who was hired by chief executive Sally Greene to bring Hollywood glamour to the south-east London theatre, meant staff felt unable to raise concerns, an internal investigation found.

“The given testimony shows that in all but one case, those individuals alleging inappropriate behaviour by Kevin Spacey did not come forward at the time or asked that no formal action be taken.

“During his tenure, The Old Vic was in a unique position of having a Hollywood star at the helm around whom existed a cult of personality… his stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help," the report said.