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The BBC has suspended a male member of staff after allegations about the personal conduct of a presenter pitched the national broadcaster into crisis.
The BBC on Sunday confirmed that it has been investigating the allegations since May, with politicians piling pressure on the broadcaster to “get its house in order” given criticism of how its management is handling the growing scandal.
The Sun newspaper reported that the unnamed star paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photos over a three-year period. The young person was allegedly 17 years old when the payments started.
On Sunday afternoon, director-general Tim Davie sent an email to staff saying that the “BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC Investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up”.
But he added that “new allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols”.
People familiar with the situation said that the BBC had spoken to police authorities about the allegations.
London’s Metropolitan Police said they had received initial contact from the BBC on the matter but no formal referral or allegation had been made.
“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow,” a Met spokesperson said.
Davie said that “individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex”, but that the BBC was in contact with the family referenced in the media reports.
Reports that the BBC allowed the presenter to continue on air after the mother of the teenager complained in May have alarmed MPs, and led to further questions about the way the broadcaster handles such issues.
Victoria Atkins, a government minister conducting the Sunday morning broadcast round, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge: “These are very, very serious allegations.”
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said she had spoken to Davie on Sunday about “the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters”.
“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,” she said.
Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow chancellor, said: “The BBC has to get its house in order.”
She described the story as “deeply concerning; the idea that some presenters think that they act with impunity and they can get away with these sorts of things”.
The scandal comes ahead of the publication of the BBC annual results next week, when Davie will face questions about how it has handled a series of recent crises.
The lack of a more detailed response from the broadcaster has led to further criticism over its handling of these scandals, with several of the BBC’s best-known faces, including Gary Lineker and Jeremy Vine, being forced to take to social media to say they were not the presenter in question, amid speculation about the star’s identity.
Reeves said: “The concerning thing, that someone makes a complaint, a very serious complaint, and then puts on the telly the next night and they’re still there. And that’s not good enough.”
In a statement on Sunday, the BBC confirmed the suspension of a male staff member. It 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.”
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