Everything we know so far about the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit images
Urgent talks have been scheduled between the BBC’s director and culture secretary Lucy Frazer following accusations against a prominent male presenter.
The individual in question is alleged to have paid a teenager £35,000 in exchange for explicit images.
The identity of this well-known figure remains undisclosed, but The Sun reported that he is a “household name” with a six-figure salary.
Here’s everything you need to know so far.
Who is the BBC presenter?
The name of the BBC TV presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexual images has not been released.
The Sun has reported that he is a man, a presenter and a “household name”, sparking frenzied speculation on social media.
BBC presenters including Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine have come out to deny it is them after false accusations on social media.
BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell also spoke out against speculation it could be him, threatening to sue Twitter users who appeared to falsely accuse him.
What are the allegations?
The mystery BBC star allegedly paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photographs.
The arrangement is said to have begun in 2020 when the alleged victim was just 17 years old.
The Sun reported that a series of payments have been made, fuelling the youth’s crack cocaine addiction.
The mother of the individual, now aged 20, claimed she had seen bank statements showing payments adding up to more than £35,000, including one sum of £5,000.
She told The Sun the presenter requested “performances” and she found an image on her child’s phone in which the presenter was “sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear”.
What has the response been?
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will be speaking to BBC director-general Tim Davie today over the “deeply concerning” allegations, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said.
Senior officials have said the allegations must be investigated “urgently and sensitively”, with the department kept updated.
Government minister Victoria Atkins called on the BBC to act “very swiftly” to investigate the unnamed presenter.
“These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said they have processes in place,” the financial secretary to the Treasury told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the programme that the presenter should not stay in his job during the investigation.
“When serious allegations are made like this I don’t think it is right that people stay in those jobs while those very serious investigations go on,” she said.
The presenter has been temporarily removed from broadcasting duties but, according to reports from The Sun, they have not yet faced suspension.
The BBC has reported on the story, with special correspondent Lucy Manning saying it is unclear whether there has been a formal suspension.
On the News at Ten presented by Clive Myrie, she said: “I think this is very serious for the BBC, let’s make no bones about this.
“The understanding is the presenter isn’t due on air in the near future, but we haven’t been told, and we have asked, we haven’t been told by the BBC whether there has or hasn’t been a formal suspension.
“The BBC will need to answer if the investigation should have happened sooner, if it should have been more thorough, and if it’s fair to other presenters unconnected to this that their names are now sort of in the headlines.”
What has the BBC said?
The Sun newspaper first reported on Saturday that a young person’s family complained about the behaviour of a BBC household name on 19 May – but he stayed on TV until recently.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
“As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes 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.”
