‘Household name’ BBC presenter ‘paid teenager for sexually explicit photos’
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The BBC has said it takes “any allegations very seriously” following claims that one of its male presenters paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photos.
The unnamed “household name” allegedly first requested images from the youth when they were aged 17 back in 2020 and has made a series of payments over the years, according to The Sun.
It said the family had made a complaint on 19 May and that the BBC have now taken the star off-air.
No one involved has been named.
Following speculation online over the identity of the presenter, several have publicly ruled themselves out, including Rylan Clark, Gary Lineker, Nicky Campbell and Jeremy Vine.
Tweeting on Saturday, 34-year-old Clark said he was currently filming for the BBC in Italy, adding “that ain’t me babe”.
A few hours later, Vine, 58, told his followers he would be back on air on Monday, echoing Clark’s tweet: “It certainly ain’t me.”
Lineker followed suit, making reference to his “haters”.
And Campbell appeared to report tweets accusing him to the police, as he shared screenshots on the site.
“I think it’s important to take a stand,” he wrote. “There’s just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.”
Meanwhile, the mother of the youth, now aged 20, told The Sun she was “shocked” to see a picture of the man sitting in his underwear, which was taken from a video call between the two.
She said she had also seen bank account statements showing payments totalling more than £35,000 – including one lump sum of £5,000.
She added the accused presenter requested “performances” and that her offspring had used the cash to fund an addiction to crack cocaine – which had “destroyed” their life.
“I loved watching him on TV. I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear,” she told The Sun.
“All I want is for this man to stop paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child’s drug habit.”
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In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “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.”
They added: “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.”
