What are the allegations against BBC presenter and why hasn’t he been named?

A BBC presenter allegedly paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager for explicit images, according to a report published on Friday.

The family of the teenager reportedly complained to the BBC in May but the broadcaster said that “new allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature”, according to the Sun.

BBC boss Tim Davie was summoned for crisis talks on Sunday as it emerged that the company had known of the allegations against the star presenter for almost two months now.

The BBC confirmed that the male presenter has been suspended and taken off air for the coming days.

What are the Allegations?

The presenter – who was not named – reportedly began paying the teen when they were 17 years old in 2020. The young person is now 20.

The BBC star allegedly appeared in his underwear in a video call and paid more than £35,000 in exchange for sexually explicit images. The youth’s family has claimed that the series of payments fuelled their crack cocaine addiction.

It is understood that the corporation will be meeting with the Metropolitan Police on Monday to discuss the matter.

On Sunday, the Sun published an update that said that the male presenter called the young person twice after the allegations became public. He reportedly told them in panic “what have you done” and demanded that their mother stop the investigation.

Why hasn’t the presenter been named?

The male presenter has not been named by the Sun or any other outlets who know their identity. There is no court injunction banning the disclosure of the name of the presenter, it is believed.

The media is not publicly releasing the name through fear of defamation and breaching his privacy, media law experts have explained.

Since the news broke, questions have been asked why the name of the BBC star has not been published.

Mark Stephens, media law expert and partner at Howard Kennedy, said the law was changed after Sir Cliff Richard won a privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014.

Mr Stephens said: “Back in July 2018, the law changed in the Cliff Richard case and what was decided was that while an investigation was going on, the balance between right to privacy and freedom of expression or the public’s right to know, favoured keeping things private.

“That was quite a controversial change but it was a pretty significant change and that’s impacted here, and that sort of sits over everything, whether it’s a civil complaint or a criminal one.”

Mr Stephens said there is a second layer of privacy, which is the “contractual arrangement” between the BBC and its members of staff.

“If there are allegations of inappropriate behaviour, or any other kind of breach of employment practice, they should be investigated confidentially,” he said.

“That’s doesn’t matter whether you’re a celebrity or in the local office or on the building site, the same law applies.”

What is the BBC saying?

On Sunday, the British Broadcasting Corporation said in a statement: “The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

“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.”

The presenter is accused of having paid the teenager more than £35,000 since 2020 for sexually explicit photos, with one alleged payment of £5,000.

Earlier, the BBC said that it took “any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them”.

In a statement, released on Friday, the BBC said it has processes in place to deal with allegations and part of this is “actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

“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,” it added.

In an email to staff, BBC director general Tim Davie said such allegations were taken “incredibly seriously”.

In a separate statement, the BBC said it will be in a position to provide further updates on the crisis allegedly involving the male presenter in the coming days.

Mr Davie is due to appear before the media on Tuesday to answer questions after the release of its annual report.

BBC reported on Monday that its culture editor Katie Razzall pointed out “we don’t know the truth” of the allegations. She said BBC’s statement appears to suggest its initial investigation may have been hampered by a lack of response from the family.

The family of the young person speaks out:

The family of the teen who is now 20, were reportedly upset with the wording of the BBC’s statement on the star presenter’s suspension, according to the Sun.

On Saturday night, the family allegedly handed a dossier of evidence to BBC’s lead investigator, ex-cop Jeff Brown.

The mother of the teen told the paper that she was frustrated the presenter was still on the air despite their complaint to the BBC in May.

She said the young person had gone from a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years.

The mother reportedly begged the BBC to make the presenter “stop sending the cash”.

She told the Sun: “When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.

“Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”

The young person showed their mother online bank statements. “There were huge sums, hundreds, or thousands of pounds at a time,” the mother said.

“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”

What are the police saying?

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made.”

The BBC are expected to meet with the Met Police on Monday.

What are politicians saying?

Former culture minister Damian Collins said: “I think the concern will be that this was raised by the family in May this year, but what happened when the complaint was initially raised?

“Why didn’t they do something sooner, I think is a fair challenge to the BBC.”

Cabinet minister Alex Chalk said suggestions the BBC allowed a presenter to stay on air despite allegations made that they paid a teenager for sexually explicit images were “astonishing”.

The Justice Secretary told Sky News: “If that is right, then it is astonishing and you would have expected robust action to have been taken much more quickly.

Earlier culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC had reassured her the broadcaster was “investigating swiftly and sensitively”.

She said: “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. I will be kept updated.”

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the corporation to “get its house in order”, and  Tory minister Victoria Atkins called for swift action, it was reported.

Ms Reeves told the BBC that it needed “to speed up their processes” and give “greater clarity now to what on Earth has gone on in this case, and what they’re doing to try and put it right”.

Ms Atkins described the claims as “very, very serious” and added that the BBC must act “swiftly” while following the procedures.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation.”

He told GB News: “That way it’s clear and then you can get on with it. At this stage, to try and do it quietly and behind the scenes - it never works because somebody has blown the gaff and they’re in trouble now.

“I don’t quite know what they’re doing. It’s a mess. Clearly, if you read the newspaper reports, you can see that the BBC has tried to play this down from the beginning. And it has not worked, because it has exploded.

“They didn’t have any plan. Any inquiries that are taking place seem to be a mess. And that’s led to a whole series of reputational damage across the newspapers to the BBC.”

Former home secretary Priti Patel said: “The allegations, carried by the Sun, are absolutely horrendous.

“The BBC owes an explanation to the country who funded it and placed their trust in it. And the Corporation must cooperate with the police if they are contacted to investigate.”

What are other BBC stars saying?

Several star faces at the BBC tweeted and tried to distance themselves from the male presenter facing damning allegations. A witchhunt on social media has also ensued due to the anonymity of the star male presenter.

TV presenter Rylan Clark said: “Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun - that ain’t me babe. I’m currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc [sic], so take my name out ya mouths.”

Other BBC stars including Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker also clarified on social media that they were not the presenters at the centre of the scandal.

Mr Vine tweeted: “Just to say I’m very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday – whoever the ‘BBC Presenter’ in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain’t me.”

Mr Lineker tweeted: “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.”

What next?

The BBC presenter could face jail if he is found guilty of charges. The allegations have caused the corporation damage to its reputation and pressure is mounting on the BBC as it deals with the crisis.