BBC confirms male staff member suspended over allegations

A well-known male presenter who is accused of paying a teenager £35,000 for explicit pictures was suspended by the BBC on Sunday night as police were told of the allegations.

Boss Tim Davie was summoned to crisis talks after it emerged the corporation has been aware of the claims for nearly two months.

Police were made aware of the shocking claims hours after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer ordered Mr Davie to get his house in order.

Ms Frazer said: “I spoke about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.

“[Mr Davie] assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.

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“Given the nature of the allegations, it is important the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.”

The alleged victim’s mother has said the family complained directly to the BBC in May, demanding the presenter stop sending their child money.

But it has since been claimed that even after the star was made aware of the BBC’s knowledge, he continued to funnel money and remained on air – even attending an awards party with BBC bosses.

The teen is said to have plunged into a spiral of despair from a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in months.

It is alleged the mother once heard the BBC star saying “I told you not to f****** ring me” and found a picture of the presenter in his underwear on her child’s phone.

She said: “I immediately recognised him. He was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him.

“My child told me, ‘I have shown things’ and this was a picture from some kind of video call.

“Whenever I see him on telly, I feel sick.”

If criminal charges are brought, the unnamed presenter could face a maximum 14-year jail term.

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The latest scandal to engulf the BBC also raised fresh questions over its ability to continue to charge a licence fee.

Former home secretary Priti Patel said: “The BBC, which is funded by licence fee payers, has become a faceless and unaccountable organisation.”

The BBC was forced into a humiliating volte-face after a wall of silence surrounded the sickening allegations.

It issued a string of updated statements, confirming a presenter had been taken off the air, launching a probe and, finally, contacting the police.

In a statement, the corporation confirmed it had been “in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols”.

An ex-BBC employee, who is now a presenter with a rival channel, told the Daily Express: “This beggars belief. We’re really through the looking glass now.

“Rarely a day goes by without a scandal rocking the state broadcaster to its foundations – Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall, Rolf Harris, the inquiry into allegations surrounding Tim Westwood – the list goes on and on.

“It’s less a firefight these days, it’s more a towering inferno.”

Ex-Tory party leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, added: “I don’t quite know what they’re doing. It’s a mess. Clearly the BBC has tried to play this down from the beginning. It’s not worked because it’s exploded.

“They didn’t have any plan. Any inquiries that are taking place seem to be a mess. And that’s led to a whole series of reputational damage.

“The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation. To try and do it quietly and behind the scenes never works because somebody has blown the gaff and they’re in trouble now.”

Sunday night’s dramatic events came after Mr Davie was summoned to an emergency Sunday morning phone call with Ms Frazer.

Mr Davie subsequently said the BBC was investigating “swiftly and sensitively” into “deeply concerning” claims.

Later, the director-general said a male member of staff had been suspended, but did not reveal his identity. It emerged that the broadcaster was first told of claims relating to a “household name” on May 19.

It is alleged he paid for sexually explicit images, which the teen then used to fund a crack cocaine habit. The teenager’s family said they went public because they were not satisfied with the response they initially received from the BBC.

The identity of the presenter is unknown outside New Broadcasting House, but it is said the person is known to millions – sparking widespread speculation.

It is claimed the man started paying the teenager in 2020, when the alleged victim was 17, sending the money in exchange for graphic pictures. The teen’s mother said she had seen bank statements showing payments totalling more than £35,000, including one lump sum of £5,000.

She accused the presenter of demanding “performances” and said her child used the cash to fund a drug habit that “destroyed” their life.

Public support for the BBC, which charges £159 for a licence fee, has plummeted after some of its biggest names were unmasked as sex abusers. They included serial offender Jimmy Savile, It’s A Knockout host Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris.

Mr Davie faces a fresh storm on Tuesday when he will be forced to answer questions in public. He will reveal the broadcaster’s annual accounts, where the salaries of its highest-paid stars are made public.

And he will be compelled to give an account of his and the BBC’s delayed response to claims the star allegedly requested “performances” from the teenager.

The corporation said on Sunday night: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations. This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

“We have been clear that if, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.” It added: “The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

“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.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues.”

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