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 BBC has now launched an investigation and taken the star off-air after the family made a complaint on 19 May.
No one involved has been named.
Following speculation online over the identity of the presenter, several individuals have publicly ruled themselves out, including Rylan Clark 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”.
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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.”
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The mother of the youth, now aged 20, told the newspaper that she had seen bank account statements showing payments totalling more than £35,000 – including one lump sum of £5,000.
She claimed the presenter requested “performances” and that her offspring had used the cash to fund an addiction to crack cocaine – which had “destroyed” their life.
“All I want is for this man to stop paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child’s drug habit,” she told The Sun.
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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.”
