BBC presenter scandal: Timeline of events as unnamed star suspended

An unnamed BBC presenter has been suspended after being accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.

The male presenter – reportedly a “household name” – is also facing separate allegations from three other people in their early 20s.

BBC presenter latest: Star faces new claims

Here is a look at what allegations have been made and when they first came to light.

October 2018: The star allegedly sends messages to a 17-year-old after initiating a conversation on Instagram, The Sun said on 11 July 2023.

The paper said the messages, which it has published, contain love heart emojis and kisses.

The youth, now aged 22, told The Sun “looking back now it does seem creepy because he was messaging me when I was still at school”.

18 February 2021: The presenter allegedly travels by train from London to meet a 23-year-old at their flat when the country is in a third lockdown, The Sun claimed on 11 July 2023.

The newspaper said it had seen messages suggesting the star visited the person’s home, sent cash and asked for a picture – and was sent a semi-naked photo.

The person said they first met the presenter in November 2020 on a dating site and the BBC personality travelled across the capital to another county to meet them at their flat for an hour in February 2021.

April 2023: An unnamed police force is contacted by the parents of the 20-year-old at the centre of the photo claims, the BBC reports on 11 July, adding the force said “no criminality was identified”.

The force has now met the Metropolitan Police and the BBC and “as a result of recent developments, further enquiries are ongoing to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence”, reported the corporation.

Friday 19 May: The family first make a complaint to the BBC. In the complaint, they reportedly asked the broadcaster to make the man “stop sending the cash”.

When the presenter was still on air a month later, the family reportedly became frustrated. The BBC confirmed in a statement that it had “first became aware of a complaint in May”.

June: The youth receives a £1,000 payment – allegedly made via PayPal, from the presenter, according to The Sun. Their mother said they “suddenly had this cash” after running out of money.

She said the payment had made it “obvious the BBC hadn’t spoken to this man… as they thought he was too important”.

She also claimed that initially, the “security boss gave us a number that didn’t exist”.

Thursday 6 July: The BBC receives “new allegations” of a “different nature” – but the broadcaster does not reveal any further details.

Friday 7 July: The Sun’s bombshell exclusive is published both online and in print. The paper said the presenter is “a familiar face who is known to millions” and is also paid a six-figure salary by the BBC.

In the interview, the youth’s mother claimed that the presenter requested “performances” and that she had seen bank account statements showing payments totalling more than £35,000 – including one lump sum of £5,000.

Now 20 years of age, the youth had used the presenter’s money to fuel a serious drug problem, the mother said.

The BBC responded to the article saying: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.”

It said it would “take steps” to investigate further “if we receive information”, including “actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation”.

Saturday 8 July: Various BBC presenters choose to publicly clear their names after speculation about the identity of the presenter swirls online. Celebrities including Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker, BBC Radio 2 hosts Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark, and BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell all release separate statements on Twitter.

Clark, who said he is currently in Italy filming for the BBC, said: “Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun – that ain’t me babe.” Whilst Lineker added: “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.”

Campbell appeared to contact the Metropolitan Police after falsely being named online. Sharing screenshots of the police website on social media, he said: “I think it’s important to take a stand. There’s just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.”

On Saturday evening, The Sun published an update to its allegations. It claimed that the youth’s mother had seen images of the presenter sitting on his sofa in his underpants. The picture was reportedly taken during a video call between the pair.

Former home secretary Priti Patel called for a “full and transparent investigation”, calling the BBC “faceless” and an “unaccountable organisation” on social media.

Sunday 9 July: A male presenter is suspended from duties and BBC contact police over allegations. In a statement, it said the situation was “complex and fast moving” and the corporation is “working as quickly as possible to establish the facts”.

“New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols,” a statement said.

Director-general Tim Davie also sends an email to BBC staff, reiterating that it’s taking the allegations “incredibly seriously”. He says the BBC is in contact with the family referenced in the reports and condemns rumours about “some of our presenting talent”. He also says individuals involved are “entitled to privacy”.

A spokesperson for the Met Police later says the force had “initial contact” from the BBC but that “no formal referral or allegation has been made”.

“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow,” they say.

A number of politicians also speak of their concern over the allegations. Dame Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport committee, says she was concerned the corporation had taken a “very long time” to investigate the claims.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, says the scandal was “deeply concerning”.

When asked about an alleged delay in investigating the complaint, she tells Sky News: “I think that’s 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.”

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer avoids questions about the scandal after being asked about it at the British Grand Prix, but confirms she has spoken to Mr Davie about the “deeply concerning allegations”.

“He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively,” she says on Twitter.

On Sunday evening, The Sun publishes more allegations claiming that the presenter made “panicked” calls to the young person last week when the story broke.

The paper says the presenter allegedly asked “what have you done?”, adding that it is claimed he asked them to ring their mother to get her to “stop the investigation”.

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Monday 10 July: Detectives from the Metropolitan Police have a virtual meeting with BBC representatives over the allegations.

The force later says it is “assessing information” supplied by the broadcaster and is carrying out further enquiries to establish whether any crime has been committed.

But the Met has not yet launched an investigation.

A lawyer for the alleged victim reportedly says in a letter to the BBC that the mother’s claims are “rubbish” and “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” took place between the young person and the presenter.

The young person had sent a denial to the newspaper on Friday evening, saying there was “no truth to it”, according to the letter.

However, the “inappropriate article” was still published, the lawyer tells the corporation.

After the BBC publishes the letter, the mother tells The Sun: “It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need.”

The young person’s stepfather reportedly adds: “We are disappointed they made a statement. It’s not true.”

The stepfather also claims the BBC ignored emails sent on 19 May which allegedly included bank statements showing payments made by the presenter.

Tuesday 11 July: The BBC is asked to pause its internal investigation into the photo allegations “while the police scope future work” following a meeting with the Metropolitan Police.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports the presenter sent threatening messages to a young person in their early 20s, who has no connection to the person at the centre of The Sun’s story.

The star met the young person on a dating app before their conversations moved to other platforms, according to the corporation.

He then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone, BBC News reported.

The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinted they might name him.

The star then allegedly sent a number of “threatening messages”, which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the presenter.

The corporation said the young person felt “threatened” by the messages and “remains scared”.