The BBC was today plunged into crisis as a top presenter was suspended over allegations he paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit photos.
The star’s suspension came after a day of extraordinary drama which saw the culture secretary intervene, several high-profile MPs condemn the BBC’s handling of the crisis and the broadcaster contacting the police over the scandal.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said it was “never easy” when the BBC becomes the subject of a news story. But he said allegations had come to light which BBC bosses were taking “incredibly seriously”, confirming a male member of staff had been suspended.
“We are working rapidly to establish the facts,” he said.
New allegations emerged on Sunday night that the BBC presenter made panicked calls to the teenager after the story broke.
According to The Sun, the presenter called the alleged victim last week and asked: “What have you done?” The newspaper also reported the BBC star asked the teenager to call their mother to try and stop the investigation.
Questions remained over why it took seven weeks to suspend the presenter, with Mr Davie confirming the BBC was made aware of a complaint in May. He insisted information came to light on Thursday “of a different nature” which led to the suspension.
It came as:
It is alleged that the TV star, believed to be a household name, paid more than £35,000 in exchange for sexual images and that the teenager used the money to fund a cocaine addiction, which “destroyed” their life.
The mother described how her child, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, turned from a “happy-go-lucky youngster” to a “ghost-like crack addict” in three years.
Neither the presenter nor the teenager have been identified.
The mother, who said she wanted no payment for the story, complained to the BBC in May and begged them to make the presenter “stop sending the cash”, according to The Sun.
Chair of parliament’s culture committee Dame Caroline Dinenage also spoke with Mr Davie about the crisis on Sunday, saying she had “received assurances that the BBC are treating this matter seriously and with urgency”.
She told The Independent the BBC has “questions to answer” about what has happened since the complaint first came to light in May.
“Clearly it becomes more difficult when this is a private-life issue outside of the workplace,” she said. But she added: “TV companies must have in place the right systems and processes to do what they can to ensure their stars, with disproportionate power and influence over the lives and careers of others, don’t abuse it.”
Meanwhile, Sir Iain said it was clear the corporation had “tried to play this down from the beginning” only for the scandal to “explode”.
“The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation,” he told GB News.
“That way it’s clear and then you can get on with it. At this stage, to try and do it quietly and behind the scenes – it never works because somebody has blown the gaff and they’re in trouble now. I don’t quite know what they’re doing. It’s a mess.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the allegations were “deeply concerning” and called for the BBC to “get a grip”.
