The BBC has admitted that it was aware of a previous police investigation into one of its most famous broadcasters in 2017, and that he was sacked after “new information” emerged.
In a move that shocked the UK, Scott Mills was this week sacked from his role as host of the country’s most popular breakfast show on Radio 2. He signed on on Tuesday 24 March, telling the audience: “Back tomorrow” – so everything that happened behind the scenes was a surprise development.
The company initially said he was let go due to “personal conduct.” It was not surprising that the British press and social media users immediately went into a frenzy speculating about the reason for his quick departure.
In the past few days, it has been confirmed that the 53-year-old has been questioned by police over historical allegations – dating back to 1997-2000, when Mills was in his 20s – of “serious sexual offences” against a boy who was under 16 at the time.
Police opened an investigation into the allegations in 2016, and the BBC was informed in 2017 (although BBC News said then-director-general Tony Hall was unaware of the investigation). Mills was investigated over the allegations in 2018, but the case was dropped a year later. No charges were filed after prosecutors deemed there was not enough evidence to move forward.
The star has not yet commented publicly on the news, nor did his team respond to requests for comment Hollywood Reporter At the time of publication.
A BBC spokesman said on Wednesday THR“Scott Mills has had a long career at the BBC and was hugely popular and we know that the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many… We are also aware that there has been a lot of speculation in the media and online since Monday. We hope people understand that there are limits to what we can say because we must be mindful of the rights of those involved.”
They continued: “What we can confirm is that in recent weeks we have obtained new information related to Scott and we have spoken with him directly.” “As a result, the BBC has acted decisively, in line with our culture and values, and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.”
“Separately, we can confirm that the BBC became aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was later closed in 2019 without any arrests or charges being made. We are doing further work to understand the details.” [sic] “What the BBC knew at the time,” the spokesperson added, and they pointed to the BBC’s “significant commitment to improving its culture, processes and standards,” including an independent cultural review last year.
The BBC also apologized on Tuesday for not considering a separate allegation of “inappropriate communications” involving Mills, which was first reported in The Guardian. telegraph. This claim was made by an independent journalist in 2025.
Mills is one of the UK’s leading radio presenters, having worked for the BBC for more than 25 years. He is radio’s 11th highest-paid employee, earning more than £350,000 ($465,000) a year – and that’s before he becomes Radio 2’s breakfast show presenter in January 2025. His television credits include commentary on the Eurovision Song Contest and Strictly Come Dancing.
It represents a new headache for the BBC, which has been dealing with controversial scandals surrounding its on-screen stars for several years. Among the recent failures are the criminal conviction of former BBC news presenter Hugh Edwards on charges of child sex abuse images and allegations of inappropriate behavior against the former. Master Chef Star Gregg Wallace.
Mills’ sacking is said to be one of the final decisions from outgoing BBC boss Tim Davie, who will hand over the reins to interim director general Rhodri Talvan Davies this week. Davis is walking into another crisis.
In May, former Google boss Matt Brittain will begin his tenure at the company’s top job, facing an uphill battle in rebuilding public trust in the company. It’s often news like this that makes this role one of the most difficult in British media – THR Take a look at the awards he won last week.
