A BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos has been suspended.
The unnamed BBC star has been accused of paying the young person more than £35,000 starting in 2020 when they were 17, which they are said to have used to fund a crack cocaine addiction.
The corporation said it was made aware of a complaint in May but that new allegations of a “different nature” were brought to it on Thursday.
It is understood the BBC has been in touch with the police in addition to their own enquiries.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
“This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.
“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.
“We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.
“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.
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
“We expect to be in a position 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 Culture Secretary urgently spoke to BBC director-general Tim Davie earlier today as the corporation came under pressure over its handling of the complaint.
Following the phone call, Lucy Frazer 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.
“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.”
The young person’s mother is said to have approached the BBC on May 19 and pleaded with them to make the star “stop sending the cash”.
They 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.”
In the latest claim, the young person’s mother said she saw a picture of the presenter on her child’s phone “sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear”.
She said she was told it was “a picture from some kind of video call” and looked like he was “getting ready for my child to perform for him”.
A number of BBC stars publicly said they were not the presenter at the centre of the allegations, amid intense speculation about their identity on social media.
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker tweeted: “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.”
BBC Radio 2 presenter Rylan Clark said: “Not sure why my name’s 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.”
Fellow Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine added: “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.”
