BBC in urgent talks with culture secretary over ‘deeply concerning’ allegations

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer has said the allegations are ‘deeply concerning’

The culture secretary today held urgent talks with BBC boss Tim Davie over allegations an unnamed star presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit pictures.

Ms Frazer spoke to the director-general today over the “deeply concerning” allegations and said he had assured her the corporation is investigating the claims “swiftly and sensitively”.

She said the broadcaster now needs to be given space to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

It came after senior MPs called for the BBC to investigate its handling of the allegations, saying the corporation has “very serious questions” to answer.

Following the phone call, she tweeted: “I have spoken to BBC director-general Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.

“He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.”

She added: “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.”

It is the latest crisis for Mr Davie to respond to after he survived calls to resign over his handling of Gary Lineker being briefly taken off air in March after the football pundit criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s “cruel” asylum policy.

Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the allegations are “deeply concerning” and called for the BBC to “get a grip”.

And government minister Victoria Atkins called on the BBC to “act swiftly” to deal with the allegations.

“These are very serious allegations and I can quite understand the public's concern about them,” she added.

And Ms Atkins, the financial secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: “I think as public attention and concern grows, the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them.”

Ms Reeves said the BBC and other broadcasters appear to be lurching “from one scandal to another”, and its handling so far had “not been good enough”.

She told Sky News: “Someone makes a complaint and then puts on the telly the next night and they are still there, and that is not good enough.”

Ms Reeves added: “The investigations need to be much swifter, action needs to be taken quicker when there are serious complaints like this.

“But the standards that presenters operate at just need to be much, much higher, no one should be able to get away with this sort of thing and think they can get away with it.”

The mother of the alleged victim said the money – allegedly amounting to more than £35,000 – was used to fund a cocaine addiction which “destroyed” her child’s life.

The family complained to the BBC about the behaviour on 19 May and begged the broadcaster to make the presenter “stop sending the cash,” according to The Sun.

Neither the individual or the teenager, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, was identified.

The BBC said it takes “any allegations very seriously”. The star is currently not scheduled to be on air, it has been reported.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said the BBC is in a mess and should have immediately suspended the presenter at the centre of the sex scandal.

He said it is clear the corporation has “tried to play this down from the beginning” only for the scandal to “explode”.

“The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation,” Sir Iain said.

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.”

Dame Caroline Dinenage, a senior Tory MP and chair of the culture, media and sport committee, said the BBC has “very serious questions” to answer.

She added: “It’s vital that TV companies have in place the right systems and processes to ensure their stars, who have disproportionate power and influence over the lives and careers of others, don’t abuse it.”

And former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told The Sun the allegations are “absolutely horrendous”. She said the BBC’s response was “derisory” and that it must provide the accuser and their family with a “full and transparent investigation”.

Ms Patel added: “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.”

Several high profile figures have spoken out about the allegations to deny any involvement.

Writing on Twitter, 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, so take my name out ya mouths.”

Shortly afterwards, radio star Jeremy Vine also responded to the story, telling his Twitter followers: “It certainly ain’t me”.

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

Nicky Campbell appeared to suggest he had contacted police about being mentioned in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: “Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.”

In his tweet, he wrote: “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.”

A DCMS spokeswoman previously said: “These allegations are deeply concerning.

“As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the department kept informed.”