BBC's Tim Davie says it was 'very clear' Scott Mills had to be axed as he speaks out on decision

"We're trying to act fairly," he told colleagues. "It was new information quite recently that we received that made it very clear about the decision we had to make."

The outgoing chief, who has led the corporation since September 2020, addressed the emotional impact on staff.

"When something happens where I think there's a lot of grief, there's a lot of shock, I think all I would say is we're trying to act as the leadership with kindness," he added.

Mr Mills was terminated from his BBC Radio 2 position on March 27, with the news becoming public three days later.

The Metropolitan Police subsequently confirmed that the presenter had been the subject of an investigation launched in 2016 concerning alleged historical sexual offences involving a teenage boy under 16, with the incidents said to have occurred between 1997 and 2000.

A file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges, and the case was closed in 2019.

Mr Mills broke his silence on Wednesday, confirming through his lawyers that he had "fully cooperated" with the police inquiry.

"Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter," he said.

Mr Davie also addressed broader questions about workplace culture at the BBC during his tenure.

"It'll never be fully fully fixed, but I think it's changing, I really do," he said when asked whether staff culture had improved.

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The director general suggested that conduct tolerated two decades ago would now be unacceptable, adding that the corporation aims to foster an environment where such behaviour is "ludicrous."

He spoke candidly about powerful figures in the industry who had previously escaped scrutiny for misusing their positions.

"I do think we've reached a point where people behaving badly now, you can see we're not going to tolerate it," Mr Davie stated.

The outgoing chief expressed his belief that "real progress" had been achieved, describing the industry as "kinder" than before.

Mr Davie's comments come as he prepares to step down after nearly six years leading the corporation.

The BBC also released a fresh statement about Mr Mills on Wednesday which read: "Scott Mills had a long career across the BBC, he was hugely popular and we know the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many.

"We also recognise there’s been much speculation in the media and online since Monday. We hope people understand that there is a limit to what we can say because we have to be mindful of the rights of those involved.

"What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him.

"As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.

"The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear action would be taken if these were not met.

“Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made. We are doing more work to understand the detail of what was known by the BBC at this time.”