The BBC says it has been in touch with police following claims one of its presenters paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photos.
The corporation says it is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts and that the presenter, who it has not named, has been suspended.
Claims the presenter began paying the young person when they were 17 were first reported by the Sun on Friday.
Police said the BBC was in contact but no formal allegation has yet been made.
Neither the Sun nor the BBC are naming the man involved.
In a statement, the BBC said it was working as fast as possible “to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps”.
“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May,” it said. “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 statement added that the corporation expected to be in a position to provide a further update on the process in the coming days.
In an email to staff, BBC director general Tim Davie said such allegations were taken “incredibly seriously”.
He described the situation as “complex” and the corporation was working rapidly on ascertaining the facts and “to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care”.
Mr Davie also condemned “unsubstantiated rumours” being made online about some presenters working at the BBC.
A spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said the force has “received initial contact from the BBC” in relation to the claims “but no formal referral or allegation has been made”.
They said more information was needed before the police can decide what further action should follow.
The timeline so far
- Friday 19 May: The young person’s family complain to the BBC about one of its presenter’s behaviour, according to The Sun
- Thursday 6 July: Allegations “of a different nature” are put to the BBC, according to Director General Tim Davie
- Friday 7 July: The Sun publishes claims that a BBC presenter paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photos
- Saturday 8 July: The Sun on Sunday publishes more details of the presenter’s alleged actions
- Sunday 9 July: The BBC confirms a presenter has been suspended and that the corporation is in touch with police
It comes after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held urgent talks with Mr Davie on Sunday.
“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,” Ms Frazer said on Twitter, adding she would be kept updated by the BBC.
In the Sun on Sunday, the mother of the young person – who the Sun claims was 17 when payments from the presenter began – said her child had used the money to fund a crack cocaine habit.
She said if the alleged payments continued, her child – now aged 20 – would “wind up dead”. A sum of £35,000 is reported to have been paid.
She also claimed that an image of the presenter in his underwear, which the Sun reported on Saturday, had been taken as part of a video call with her child.
Having reportedly made the BBC aware of their concerns on 19 May, the family said they became frustrated when the presenter remained on air and they then decided to approach the Sun.
They made clear they wanted no payment for the story, the paper reported.
Following the first Sun report, some BBC presenters took to social media to deny they were the star in question, including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell and Gary Lineker.
Mr Campbell, of Radio 5 Live, tweeted that he had reported an anonymous Twitter account to the police over a post claiming he was the presenter.
Concerns have been raised about the BBC’s complaints process – primarily, what steps were taken to question the unnamed presenter and to investigate further.
There are already accusations that since the family made their complaint, the broadcaster has not handled the investigation into the presenter properly, BBC News’ special correspondent Lucy Manning said.
Rachel Reeves: BBC ‘must get house in order’
Earlier on Sunday, a number of politicians said the BBC – which says it takes any allegations “very seriously” – had questions to answer.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the corporation to “get its house in order”, while Tory minister Victoria Atkins called for swift action.
Ms Reeves told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that if reports were true and the presenter had remained on air for weeks after the complaint was made, “that’s not good enough”.
“The BBC need to speed up their processes,” she said, while calling for the BBC to 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”.
How does BBC News cover stories about the BBC?
With stories like this one, BBC News journalists treat the BBC in the same way as any other organisation the news service reports on.
And like with any other organisation, BBC News has to ask BBC management or BBC services for responses and contact the BBC press office for official statements.
Occasionally BBC journalists approach senior managers for unplanned interviews – known as “doorsteps” in the news business.
They also sometimes also get offered interviews with management – like this one with Mr Davie over the Gary Lineker row.
And when this happens, they know they’ll be scrutinised within and outside the BBC over how well they hold their boss to account.
Conservative minister Victoria Atkins described the claims as “very, very serious”, saying the BBC must act “swiftly” while following the procedures “it says it has in place”.
She told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that at the heart of this matter is a “young person… who will be feeling all sorts of emotions”, urging people to consider them when talking or reporting on it.
Also on the programme, broadcasting veteran Stewart Purvis – the former head of ITN – said the saga could harm the BBC’s drive to be known as “the nation’s broadcaster of trust”.
Asked what he would do if he worked at the corporation, Mr Purvis said bosses should be gathering people “who know what they’re doing”.
“You need human resources, you need lawyers, you need communications people, you need the bosses of the person under scrutiny,” he said.
“You’ve got to remember every single email you send each other is going to be the subject of review, is going to be public at some point, so the pressure on the top of the BBC is enormous.”
