BBC sex scandal star under 'massive pressure' to reveal his identity
EXCLUSIVE: BBC presenter ‘who paid teen 35k for explicit photos’ faces ‘massive pressure’ from stars and bosses to reveal his identity amid staff ‘uprising’ – as TV and radio producers prepare to clear schedules in case he goes public
BBC stars are piling ‘massive pressure’ on their colleague to out himself as the leading light who allegedly paid £35,000 to a vulnerable teenager addicted to crack cocaine for sexually explicit photos, MailOnline can reveal today.
The unnamed broadcaster has finally been suspended by the corporation almost two months after a complaint was first made by the alleged victim’s family.
One senior BBC News journalist told MailOnline: ‘We are all really really worried about this mess. Obviously everyone knows who the presenter is’, but added: ‘The presenter in question is very in with the management. We are all so sick and tired that these people are protecting their friend at the expense of the integrity of the BBC’.
The corporation’s production staff – both on TV and radio – are leaving space in their schedules in case he names himself, it has been claimed.
It came as the broadcaster at the heart of the scandal allegedly phoned the youngster after he was exposed last week. He reportedly demanded ‘what have you done?’ in the call and also asked his alleged victim to ring their mother to persuade her to ‘stop the investigation’ as he began to panic.
‘The BBC say it can only come from him and has put him under massive pressure to speak. He is lawyered up to the max. A lot of BBC execs are blaming him for the chaos at the weekend because he was keeping his head down and refusing to be identified’, another source said.
The BBC presenter at the centre of the £35,000 teenage sex pictures scandal allegedly phoned the youngster after he was exposed (file image) and demanded to know: ‘What have you done?’
Another BBC star told MailOnline today how there are discussions of an ‘uprising’ amongst staff, both in front and behind the camera. The insider said many are fed up of being at the centre of a ‘farce’ where one of their colleagues is absent but none of the bosses can say who it is.
A BBC News worker also said that all the bosses were in managing the scandal over the weekend – but journalists were ‘left in the dark’ about what was happening and left to ‘report on ourselves’.
HOW BBC PRESENTER ‘SEX PICS’ SCANDAL CAME TO LIGHT
2020: The BBC presenter allegedly began requesting sexually explicit photographs from the teenager.
May 19: Alleged victim’s family complained to the BBC, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money.
June: The accused host allegedly attended a party alongside BBC senior executives.
July 7: The BBC star was said to have been taken off air – but has not been suspended.
The alleged victim’s family details the accusations in a newspaper interview, claiming the presenter paid for the explicit photographs for three years.
The alleged victim’s mother also claimed the teenager used the cash to fund their spiralling drug habit.
July 8: It is revealed the presenter could face a police probe over potential crimes which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence
Several major BBC stars – including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker – confirm they are not the man behind the scandal.
July 9: Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer holds ‘urgent talks’ with BBC boss Tim Davie.
BBC suspends the male staff member whom allegations were made against.
Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations ‘incredibly seriously’.
It is understood that the BBC has been in contact with police.
July 10: Representatives from the BBC meet with the Metropolitan Police.
‘As ever, the bosses are keeping us all in the dark about their plans but we’re all very worried about where this ends up, and what we’ve been exposed to’, the source said.
‘We’ve had young runners, apprentices and vulnerable guests and contributors around this man – and now we don’t know who has been exposed to what, and who else is being protected.
‘The presenter in question is very in with the management. They were all in this weekend, but very audibly moaning about missing out on time with their kids, watching the cricket, which made us all feel pretty awful as we’re the ones who have no idea what’s happening’.
‘They all sat in a conference room getting lunch, dinner and ice creams delivered all day while the rest of us had to report on ourselves’.
There has been some disbelief that the ‘well-known’ star has remained on air given the claims were first put to the BBC in May. Since the story broke on Thursday night, one insider at the Beeb told The Sun : ‘The BBC has started to receive calls from the public about the behaviour of the person at the centre of the investigation.’
As the BBC meets with police today , household names including Gary Lineker , Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark have felt compelled to publicly rule themselves out after social media users wrongly speculated they were the star in question. Others have been forced to tweet statements insisting they are on holiday – not suspended – as critics called on the BBC to name the man at the centre of the scandal.
One BBC presenter told The Times : ‘On the face of it, this looks horrendous — both for the individual and the institution.’ Another said: ‘Whatever the truth of it is, none of us trust managers to investigate properly. Colleagues are saying managers have been too slow in dealing with this despite it perhaps being a criminal matter.
He is now off air having been accused of handing over tens of thousands of pounds across three years, which helped to fund the ‘spiralling’ crack-cocaine addiction of the youngster, now aged 20.
The individual’s mother has claimed she decided to approach the BBC after discovering the alleged payments and ‘begged’ bosses to make the star ‘stop sending cash’. She also told of how she saw a photo of the man stripped down to his boxer shorts for a video call ‘leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him’.
The BBC, led by director-general Tim Davie, will meet with the Met Police today, led by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley
The allegations, if proved, could constitute several criminal offences. The payments are said to have begun when the teenager was 17. This is over the age of sexual consent.
But making, distributing, possessing or showing an indecent image of anyone under the age of 18 is a criminal offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978, even if the image was created with the consent of the young person, or the young person was asked to send a sexual image of themselves.
It carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor who led the case against the Rochdale grooming gangs, said the allegations could also be considered an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Causing or inciting sexual exploitation of a child carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.
Mr Afzal told The Sunday Times he was ‘surprised that this person was not suspended once they became aware of the gravity of the allegation’. ‘They should have advised the police that this is a matter that they should be investigating, and that should have been done weeks ago.’
The BBC confirmed in a public statement this afternoon that it had suspended a male member of staff over the allegations, but has not revealed the identity of the employee.
Nicky Campbell notifies police: It’s been ‘distressing’ being falsely named as the BBC star at centre of scandal
Nicky Campbell has spoken about his ‘distressing weekend’ after he was ‘falsely named’ as the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit pictures.
The broadcaster, 62, was among the famous faces forced to clear their name after allegations that a BBC presenter paid £35,000 for explicit photographs.
Introducing his BBC Radio 5 Live show on Monday, Campbell said: ‘Obviously thoughts with the alleged victim and family.
‘So a bit of perspective here, worse things happen at sea as they say, but it was a distressing weekend, I can’t deny it, for me and others falsely named.
‘Today I am having further conversations with the police in terms of malicious communication and with lawyers in terms of defamation.’
It comes after he suggested he had contacted police about being falsely mentioned online in connection with the story.
He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: ‘Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.’
‘I think it’s important to take a stand. There’s just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends,’ he wrote.
On his BBC radio show, a caller rang to say she was ‘so angry and cross’ that Campbell and others had to come forward and clear their names.
Campbell responded: ‘I’m all good, Jeremy (Vine) and also others involved as well, Rylan (Clark) and also Gary (Lineker), yeah it’s uncomfortable but as I said earlier worse things happen at sea.
‘We’re big boys.’
Its own investigation will be carried by former police officer Jeff Brown, who had been handed a dossier of evidence by the alleged victim’s family.
The family of the teenager, who is now 20, were reportedly upset with the wording of the statement from the broadcaster and claimed they had not been properly contacted.
The BBC needs to get its ‘house in order’ or else there could be ‘collateral victims’, the Justice Secretary has said, following anonymous allegations made against one of the broadcaster’s presenters.
Alex Chalk told BBC Breakfast: ‘I’m pleased to hear that such serious and concerning allegations are being discussed with the police today.
‘That is fine but I think in the fullness of time there will need to be a careful review about the chronology of this – what happened, when.
‘I’m not going to cast aspersions because I don’t have all that information. But time is of the essence because it is not fair on victims, it is not fair on people who could be implicated and it is not fair on the BBC, which does an important job. I’m not here, as it were, to bash the BBC.
‘But I do think that they need to get their house in order and they need to proceed promptly, otherwise you will have plenty of collateral victims of what is a deeply serious and concerning allegation.’
The Cabinet minister, asked what he meant about the BBC ‘needing to get its house in order’, said: ‘What it means very simply is this: when serious and concerning allegations are made, they need to be investigated promptly and commensurate with the seriousness of them.
‘If the reports are to be believed, even if they are half as serious as are alleged, then you would expect the BBC to respond promptly.’
Cabinet minister Alex Chalk said today 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.
‘I don’t know precisely what was said, and that is why there needs to be a full discussion of this in the fullness of time.’
On the internal BBC investigation, Mr Chalk said: ‘I want them to get on with it.’
Mr Chalk said an investigation might be needed in the future into how the BBC handled the allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: ‘These are very serious and concerning allegations. You ask me as a parent – I would be extremely concerned about that.
‘I think in fairness, I don’t know precisely what was said and at what time, but certainly you would expect allegations of that nature to be dealt with very robustly and promptly.
‘I think what we are now seeing today… and I understand there is going to be a meeting with the police, and that is absolutely right.
‘And it may be that in the fullness of time there will need to be an investigation about how this allegation was handled. That is quite possible.
‘But right now I think it is important, in the interest of that victim, of that complainant, that this is dealt with as quickly and fairly and robustly as possible.’
It comes as the Metropolitan Police confirmed it has spoken to the BBC about the suspended presenter accused of paying a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit images.
Director-general Tim Davie said yesterday that the corporation was investigating ‘swiftly and sensitively’ into the ‘deeply concerning’ claims following urgent talks with the government.
It came just hours after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held urgent talks with BBC director-general Tim Davie about the scandal, which was first reported to the broadcaster seven weeks ago.
The Daily Mail has been told Mr Davie was not made aware of the allegations until last Thursday, despite claims the teenager’s mother initially contacted the BBC on May 19.
Senior sources said bosses did not at first ‘register the seriousness of it’.
A separate BBC source said: ‘There are layers to what the police want and need to take it further – we may get to that stage, we may not.’
The under-fire presenter’s colleagues are said to be appalled by the situation, while growing increasingly dismayed at how the BBC has handled the crisis.
One said last night: ‘We are all aghast. And at the moment it’s like the plane is on fire but the cockpit door is locked. We just have to hope the pilot is doing something.’
However the Met said the broadcaster has not yet made a ‘formal referral or allegation’.
In a statement a spokesperson for the force 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.’
In a follow-up email sent to staff, Mr Davie reiterated that the BBC is taking the allegations ‘incredibly seriously’.
Later in the internal email, he adds: ‘By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.
‘We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate.’
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer (pictured) held urgent talks with BBC boss Time Davie
Several top stars at the BBC, including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell and Rylan Clark, have distanced themselves from the allegations.
Just the latest crisis for embattled Beeb
The BBC has been left battered and bruised by a torrid few years involving allegations of presenter misconduct, impartiality failings and dubious journalistic practices.
The corporation’s decision to suspend a top presenter yesterday is its third major crisis this year alone, after an embarrassing U-turn over Gary Lineker’s political campaigning and the resignation of chairman Richard Sharp.
Lineker, below, the BBC’s highest-paid star, was hauled off air in March after refusing to back down over a tweet comparing the Government’s language on asylum seekers to 1930s Germany.
The decision to take Lineker off presenting duties for Match of the Day unleashed a major backlash and the BBC was forced into a humiliating climbdown.
Mr Sharp failed to disclose his involvement in facilitating an £800,000 loan to Boris Johnson when speaking to the cross-party panel of MPs which scrutinised his appointment.
Mr Sharp accepted that he had broken the rules but said the breach was ‘inadvertent and not material’.
The latest scandal could represent the biggest threat to the BBC since it was criticised by Princes William and Harry in 2021. They damned it over Martin Bashir’s infamous Panorama interview with their mother, Princess Diana, in 1995.
Mr Davie held urgent talks with the government over the ‘deeply concerning’ sex pictures scandal surrounding one of its top stars.
Shortly after his phone call with culture secretary Lucy Frazer, the broadcaster released a statement confirming it had suspended the presenter.
‘The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations,’ the statement said.
‘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.
‘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 enquiries 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. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.’
During his call with the culture secretary, Mr Davie said the corporation was investigating the claims ‘swiftly and sensitively’.
Ms Frazer described the allegations reported by The Sun newspaper as ‘deeply concerning’ and said the broadcaster now needs to be given space to probe the matter and take appropriate action.
Following a phone call with Mr Davie, she tweeted: ‘I have spoken to BBC director-general Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.
‘He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.’
She added: ‘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.’
Senior officials have told the broadcaster the allegations must be investigated ‘urgently and sensitively’, with the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) kept updated.
So what laws could the TV star have broken?
Now that police have been informed by the BBC about the allegations, officers have to decide if there is sufficient evidence to open a criminal investigation. The allegations, if proved, could constitute several criminal offences.
Making, distributing, possessing or showing an indecent image of anyone under the age of 18 is a criminal offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978, even if the image was created with the consent of the young person, or the young person was asked to send a sexual image of themselves.
It carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor who led the case against the Rochdale grooming gangs, said the allegations could also be considered an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Causing or inciting sexual exploitation of a child carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.
Mr Afzal told The Sunday Times he was ‘surprised that this person was not suspended once they became aware of the gravity of the allegation’.
‘They should have advised the police that this is a matter that they should be investigating, and that should have been done weeks ago.’
A DCMS spokeswoman previously said: ‘These allegations are deeply concerning.
‘As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the department kept informed.’
The presenter, who has not been named but is described as being well-known, allegedly began paying the teenager when they were 17, and sent them the money which they used to fund an addiction to crack cocaine.
The lurid speculation was sparked by a newspaper report that the youngster’s family had complained about the behaviour of the ‘household name’ seven weeks ago, but had been unhappy with the BBC response.
The presenter had reportedly been taken off air on Friday, pending an investigation, but has now been suspended.
He is said to be known to millions of people and could face a police probe over potential crimes which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence.
The alleged victim’s mother says that the family complained to the BBC on May 19, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money.
It is claimed that even after the family complained, the star continued to send money and remained on air – before he allegedly attended an awards ceremony and was even partying with BBC bosses.
The suspension comes after a slew of lawmakers criticised the Corporation’s handling of the allegations and demanded full transparency about the probe.
It is the latest crisis for Mr Davie to respond to after he survived calls to resign over his handling of Gary Lineker being briefly taken off air in March after the football pundit criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s ‘cruel’ asylum policy.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel called the broadcaster’s treatment of the complaint ‘derisory’ and insisted the BBC ‘must provide the victim – and family – a full and transparent investigation’.
She added: ‘The BBC, which is funded by licence fee payers, has become a faceless and unaccountable organisation.’
Fellow Conservative MP Paul Bristow said: ‘What is being suggested is incredibly serious. The BBC must be completely transparent on how it is dealing with this complaint. No ifs, no buts. They need to let the licence fee paying public know what they are doing and what they propose to do.’
Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the reports were ‘deeply concerning’.
She told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday show: ‘The idea that some presenters act with impunity and can get away with these sort of things, it does call into question the ethics, the investigations, how long these things take,
‘The BBC and other broadcasters do need to get a grip because we seem to lurch from one scandal to another and more needs to be done.’
Ms Reeves added there should be a ‘full investigation’ into the matter.
‘That’s the concerning thing, someone makes a complaint – a very serious complaint – and then they’re put on the TV the next night and they’re still there,’ she said.
‘That’s not good enough, that’s not treating people, victims, with respect and that’s why there needs to be a full investigation.’
Government minister Victoria Atkins, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: ‘These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said they have processes in places.
‘But I think as public attention and concern grows, the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and set out what they are going to investigate them.’
Ms Atkins said she could ‘quite understand the public concern’ about the allegations.
‘It may well be that happens in due course,’ she added.
‘With allegations of this kind, we as a Government have worked very hard over the years to try to help complainants of very serious allegations both in the criminal courts and with the police.
‘And I would expect other institutions that have responsibilities with the public to have similar high standards.’
The alleged victim’s family claims the explicit messages started in 2020 and that the star did not hide his identity and even sent photographs to the teen while he was at work.
He would allegedly request ‘performances’ from the teenager, who told their mother they would then ‘get their bits out’. On one occasion, he sent the teenager a lump sum of £5,000.
The mother told the Sun their child went from a ‘happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict’ in just three years.
The teenager’s mother said she once heard the BBC star telling them: ‘I told you not to f***ing ring me’.
She said her relationship with her child has always been close, and that they have previously confided when the man has sent them money.
The mother also told the Sun last night she used to ‘love’ watching the presenter, and was left ‘shocked’ to see a photograph of him in his underwear on the sofa of his house while looking at her child’s phone.
‘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.’
But now the stricken mother says: ‘Whenever I see him on telly, I feel sick.
She believes nothing was done and said the man continued to send her child cash as he remained on air.
It has also been alleged that the presenter partied with BBC bosses at an awards ceremony after the allegations were made against him.
Insiders claim the host enjoyed a champagne reception and a three-course meal alongside senior executives weeks after the alleged victim’s mother complained to the network.
A fellow party guest told the Mirror that it was ‘astonishing’ that someone facing ‘such serious allegations’ could attend the event, adding: ‘If this man was aware of what was hanging over him, he certainly didn’t show it.’
The source added: ‘The BBC had been made aware in the strongest possible terms of what this person is supposed to have done – and still they were able to go along, with colleagues in tow. It is very odd, to say the least.’
Jeremy Vine (pictured) also distanced himself from the allegations on Saturday
Rylan Clark was one of three high-profile names to deny his involvement on Saturday
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, became the third prominent BBC presenter to distance himself from reports that a top BBC star paid a vulnerable teenager £35,000 for sexual pictures that the youngster used to buy crack cocaine
BBC ANNOUNCES SUSPENSION OF STAFFER ‘ACCUSED IN SEX PICTURES SCANDAL’
‘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.
‘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 enquiries 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. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.’
The BBC has appeared to suggest the family did not respond to them when they tried to pursue an investigation. But one of the country’s top lawyers has questioned why they did not act sooner.
Nazir Afzal, who prosecuted the Rochdale grooming gang, told the Times last night he was ‘surprised that this person was not suspended once [the BBC] became aware of the gravity of the allegation.’
He continued: ‘The police should have been engaged as soon as they worked out whether the complaint was genuine.
‘Where are we now – the middle of July? Six, seven weeks on. They should have advised the police that this is a matter that they should be investigating, and that should have been done weeks ago.
‘There’s no justification for the police not having become involved as early as possible.’
A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline on Friday: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, several major BBC celebrities have stated publicly they are not the presenter being investigated.
This evening, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, became the third prominent BBC presenter to say they were not the BBC star facing the serious accusations.
At just after 7pm, the football pundit tweeted: ‘Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.’
Earlier on Saturday, Rylan, who has presented on BBC Radio Two among a string of other work, was the first to declare he was not the host in question.
He wrote: ‘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, so take my name out ya mouths.’
Vine then also distanced himself from the claims, adding: 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.’
Nicky Campbell appeared to suggest he had contacted police about being mentioned in connection with the story.
He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: ‘Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.’
In his tweet, he wrote: ‘I think it’s important to take a stand. There’s just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.’
The BBC’s culture editor Katie Razzall said the presenter’s continued presence on its content after a serious allegation was made ‘leads to questions about what steps the Corporation took after the complaint.’
She said many questions were still unanswered, including how the investigation was undertaken and if it was appropriate for the unnamed presenter to remain on air following the allegation.
BBC News entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba yesterday said that the unnamed presenter will not appear on air in the near future.
He told the BBC News channel: ‘We understand that the presenter is currently not scheduled to be on air in the near future.’
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