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The BBC has suspended one of its male staff members after allegations about a presenter’s personal conduct plunged the national broadcaster into a crisis.
The BBC confirmed on Sunday that it has been investigating the allegations since May, as politicians have increased pressure on the broadcaster to “get his house in order” given criticism of how its management has handled the growing scandal.
The Sun newspaper mentioned The unnamed star paid the teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit images over three years. The young man was allegedly 17 years old when the payments began.
On Sunday afternoon, managing director Tim Davey emailed staff saying that “the BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following it up”.
But, he added, “new allegations of a different nature were brought to our attention on Thursday, and in addition to our own inquiries, we have reached out to third parties in line with our protocols.”
People familiar with the situation said the BBC had spoken to the police authorities about the allegations.
Davey said that “individuals deserve a reasonable expectation of privacy, which makes this situation even more complex”, but the BBC has been in contact with the family referred to in media reports.
Reports that the BBC allowed the broadcaster to continue on air after the teenager’s mother complained in May alarmed MPs, and led to more questions about the way the broadcaster handles such issues.
“These are very serious allegations,” Victoria Atkins, the government minister who conducted the broadcast round on Sunday morning, told Sky’s Sophie Ridge.
Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser said she had spoken to Davey on Sunday about the “extremely troubling allegations relating to one of her sponsors”.
“Given the nature of the allegations, it is important that the BBC is now given space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will keep you posted,” she said.
“The BBC should get its house in order,” said Rachel Reeves, Labor’s shadow adviser.
She called the story “very disturbing. The idea that some presenters think they’re acting with impunity and can get away with these kinds of things.”
The scandal comes before the BBC’s annual results are published next week, when Davey will face questions about how he has handled a series of recent crises.
The lack of a more detailed response from the broadcaster led to further criticism over its handling of the scandals, with many of the BBC’s most famous faces, including Gary Lineker and Jeremy Vine, forced to take to social media to say they had been. Not the broadcaster in question, amid speculation about the star’s identity.
“The troubling thing,” said Reeves, “is someone makes a complaint, a very serious complaint, and then turns on TV the next night and it’s still there. And that’s not good enough.”
The BBC confirmed, in a statement on Sunday, that one of its employees had been suspended. She said: “This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances, and the BBC is working as fast as it can to establish the facts in order to properly inform the appropriate next steps.”