A BBC presenter allegedly paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager for explicit images, according to a report published on Friday.
The family of the teenager reportedly complained to the BBC in May but the broadcaster said that “new allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature”, according to the Sun.
BBC boss Tim Davie was summoned for crisis talks on Sunday as it emerged that the company had known of the allegations against the star presenter for almost two months now.
The BBC confirmed that the male presenter has been suspended and taken off air for the coming days.
In a statement through lawyers on Monday, the young person at the centre of the controversy said “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” had occurred and that the claims in the Sun were “rubbish”.
The timeline
– May 19
The family of the person, who was 17 when the presenter allegedly started payments back in 2020, complained to the BBC and became frustrated when the presenter stayed on air. They reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop the man “sending the cash”.
– July 6
The BBC said it became aware of new allegations against the male presenter.
A statement said: “New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.”
– July 7
The Sun publishes an exclusive which revealed a BBC presenter is facing allegations he paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content. A legal representative of the young person told the Sun that evening there was “no truth to it”.
The BBC responded to the article with a statement saying: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.”
– July 8
BBC presenters choose to publicly clear their names – including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell.
– July 9
The BBC says in a statement that it has suspended a male presenter from all duties and contacted the Metropolitan Police over the allegations.
The Sun reported the presenter allegedly made two calls to the young person and asked them to call their mother to “stop the investigation” after the exclusive was published.
– July 10
The Met said it is carrying out further inquiries to establish whether any crime has been committed after BBC representatives met with detectives virtually in the morning.
A lawyer representing the young person said the claims in the “inappropriate article” are “rubbish”.
In a letter reported by BBC News At Six, the young person said via the lawyer: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are ‘rubbish’.”
What are the allegations?
The presenter – who was not named – reportedly began paying the teen when they were 17 years old in 2020. The young person is now 20.
The BBC star allegedly appeared in his underwear in a video call and paid more than £35,000 in exchange for sexually explicit images. The youth’s family has claimed that the series of payments fuelled their crack cocaine addiction.
On Sunday, the Sun published an update that said that the male presenter called the young person twice after the allegations became public. He reportedly told them in panic “what have you done” and demanded that their mother stop the investigation.
Why hasn’t the presenter been named?
The male presenter has not been named by the Sun or any other outlets who know their identity. There is no court injunction banning the disclosure of the name of the presenter, it is believed.
The media is not publicly releasing the name through fear of defamation and breaching his privacy, media law experts have explained.
Since the news broke, questions have been asked why the name of the BBC star has not been published.
Mark Stephens, media law expert and partner at Howard Kennedy, said the law was changed after Sir Cliff Richard won a privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014.
Mr Stephens said there is a second layer of privacy, which is the “contractual arrangement” between the BBC and its members of staff.
“If there are allegations of inappropriate behaviour, or any other kind of breach of employment practice, they should be investigated confidentially,” he said.
“That’s doesn’t matter whether you’re a celebrity or in the local office or on the building site, the same law applies.”
The well-known presenter has been suspended following the allegations— (PA Wire)
What is the BBC saying?
In a statement, released on Friday, the BBC said it has processes in place to deal with allegations and part of this is “actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
“If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes,” it added.
In an email to staff, BBC director general Tim Davie said such allegations were taken “incredibly seriously”.
Mr Davie is due to appear before the media on Tuesday to answer questions after the release of its annual report.
BBC reported on Monday that its culture editor Katie Razzall pointed out “we don’t know the truth” of the allegations. She said BBC’s statement appears to suggest its initial investigation may have been hampered by a lack of response from the family.
Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, held emergency talks on Sunday with the Culture Secretary— (PA Archive)
The family of the young person speaks out:
The family of the teen were reportedly upset with the wording of the BBC’s statement on the star presenter’s suspension, according to the Sun.
On Saturday night, the family allegedly handed a dossier of evidence to BBC’s lead investigator, ex-cop Jeff Brown.
The mother of the teen told the paper that she was frustrated the presenter was still on the air despite their complaint to the BBC in May.
She said the young person had gone from a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years.
The mother reportedly begged the BBC to make the presenter “stop sending the cash”.
She told the Sun: “When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.
“Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”
The young person showed their mother online bank statements. “There were huge sums, hundreds, or thousands of pounds at a time,” the mother said.
“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said suggestions BBC allowed presenter to stay on air were ‘astonishing’ (Aaron Chown/PA)— (PA Wire)
What are politicians saying?
Cabinet minister Alex Chalk said suggestions the BBC allowed a presenter to stay on air despite allegations made that they paid a teenager for sexually explicit images were “astonishing”.
The Justice Secretary told Sky News: “If that is right, then it is astonishing and you would have expected robust action to have been taken much more quickly.
Earlier culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC had reassured her the broadcaster was “investigating swiftly and sensitively”.
She said: “Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.”
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the corporation to “get its house in order”, and Tory minister Victoria Atkins called for swift action, it was reported.
Ms Reeves told the BBC that it needed “to speed up their processes” and give “greater clarity now to what on Earth has gone on in this case, and what they’re doing to try and put it right”.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC had reassured her the broadcaster was “investigating swiftly and sensitively”— (PA Wire)
Former home secretary Priti Patel said: “The allegations, carried by the Sun, are absolutely horrendous.
“The BBC owes an explanation to the country who funded it and placed their trust in it. And the Corporation must cooperate with the police if they are contacted to investigate.”
Meanwhile, Downing Street said that Rishi Sunak had “full confidence” in Tim Davie.
What are other BBC stars saying?
Several star faces at the BBC tweeted and tried to distance themselves from the male presenter facing damning allegations. A witchhunt on social media has also ensued due to the anonymity of the star male presenter.
TV presenter Rylan Clark said: “Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun - that ain’t me babe. I’m currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc [sic], so take my name out ya mouths.”
Other BBC stars including Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker also clarified on social media that they were not the presenters at the centre of the scandal.
Mr Vine tweeted: “Just to say I’m very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday – whoever the ‘BBC Presenter’ in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain’t me.”
Mr Lineker tweeted: “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.”
What next?
The BBC presenter could face jail if he is found guilty of charges. The allegations have caused the corporation damage to its reputation and pressure is mounting on the BBC as it deals with the crisis.
