Who talked about the BBC presenters scandal? Timeline of explosive allegations

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A number of BBC stars have spoken out to deny any association with the explicit photos scandal which led to the suspension of a presenter by the broadcaster.

The allegations claimed that an anonymous presenter had paid a teenager, who would have been 17 when payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the footage.

The teenager’s mother said she saw a picture of the presenter on her child’s phone sitting on a sofa in her home in her underwear. Their family filed a complaint on May 19 this year, it is reported.

A BBC presenter was involved in a sex scandal

(AP)

The BBC suspended a male employee over the allegations and said it had been in contact with external authorities – understood to be the police – alongside conducting its own investigations.

The company said it was made aware of a complaint in May but new allegations of a different nature were brought to it on Thursday.

How the details of the scandal unfolded

The claims were detailed in The Sun this week when the alleged victims’ mother revealed her family’s complete ordeal.

Among the claims, the presenter stripped naked for a video call and other explicit images returned by the teenagers’ phone.

The mother said her family filed a complaint in May and only contacted the media a month later when the star was still on the air.

A payment of 1,000 from the presenter to the alleged victim had also been transferred in the meantime, the mother said.

My child said he was out of money and suddenly had that money, she told The Sun.

We never wanted an investigation. We just wanted the BBC to tell him to stop.

The mother said the three-year-old saga transformed her child from a carefree youngster to a ghostly drug addict.

Which stars have spoken out about the allegations?

BBC Director General Tim Davie has said he strongly condemns unsubstantiated rumors circulating on the internet about some of our presenting talents.

The story has sparked baseless speculation about who might be involved, forcing some stars to publicly distance themselves from the allegations.

Rylan Clark was among the first to clear his name after the scandal broke.

Clark said he was filming new content with the broadcaster.

I don’t know why my names are floating around but this story in The Sun – it’s not me baby, he wrote on Twitter.

I’m currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so get my name out of your mouth.

Jeremy Vine distanced himself from the scandal

(PA Archive)

Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine was quick to take to Twitter to distance himself from the scandal.

Just to say I’m really looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday, he wrote.

Whoever the BBC presenter is in the news, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it’s definitely not me.

BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said he had nothing to do with the scandal in a simple statement on Twitter.

I hate to disappoint haters, but that’s not me, he wrote.

Radio star Nicky Campbell has been forced to take to Twitter after being falsely accused of being linked to the scandal.

I think it is important to take a stand, he writes.

There are simply too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

The BBC’s response

The BBC said in an initial statement that it would treat any allegations about the scandal and the family’s claims very seriously.

As part of this, if we receive information that requires further investigation or review, we will take steps to do so, the statement said.

This includes actively trying to speak to those who have contacted us in order to obtain more details and understand the situation.

If we get no response to our attempts or receive no further contact, it may limit our ability to get things done, but it doesn’t mean our inquiries stop.

If at any time new information is revealed or provided – including via logs – it will be handled appropriately in accordance with internal processes.

On Sunday, he announced that the presenter had been suspended.

A BBC spokesperson said: The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

New allegations were brought to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own investigations, we have also been in contact with external authorities, in accordance with our protocols.

We can also confirm that a male member of staff has been suspended.

We hope to be able to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.

The statement adds that the company takes any allegation seriously and has strong internal processes in place to proactively address such allegations.

This is a complex and rapidly changing set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts to properly inform appropriate next steps, he added.

It is important that these matters be handled fairly and carefully.

We have made it clear that if at any time new information comes to light or is provided to us, it will be handled appropriately and actively followed up.

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