BBC suspends presenter

The BBC has suspended the unnamed presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.

The presenter allegedly first requested images from the youth in 2020 when they were aged 17 and has made a series of payments over the years, according to The Sun.

In a statement, the broadcaster said it “takes any allegations seriously” and has “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.

The presenter allegedly called the youth after The Sun published the claims and asked “What have you done?”, according to a report by the newspaper on Sunday night.

He allegedly also asked the young person to call their mother to ask her to “stop the investigation”.

The BBC said that while it first became aware of a complaint in May, “new allegations” of a “different nature” were put to it on Thursday.

It said it had been “in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols”.

A Met Police spokesperson confirmed it had been contacted by the BBC but said “no formal referral or allegation has been made”.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended,” the BBC said.

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

The corporation said it expected to be able to provide a further update in the “coming days”.

In an email to staff, director-general Tim Davie said the BBC was taking the allegations “incredibly seriously”.

He added: “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.”

Earlier, Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, said the BBC was acting “swiftly and sensitively”.

She had spoken to Mr Davie on the phone and tweeted: “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.” Sky