Jeremy Vine has pleaded for the BBC presenter under investigation to go public as “innocent colleagues” face a vitriolic storm of accusations.
The 58-year-old, who joined the BBC in 1987, took to social media after a number of the broadcaster’s top presenters were accused of being involved in the scandal.
Writing on Twitter, Vine said: “’I'm starting to think the BBC Presenter involved in the scandal should now come forward publicly.
“These new allegations will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues of his.
The parents of a teenager involved in a BBC presenter scandal claim they had spoken out to protect their childPA“And the BBC, which I’m sure he loves, is on its knees with this. But it is his decision and his alone.”
Vine also took to Twitter over the weekend to deny he was the BBC presenter at the centre of the allegations.
He said: “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.”
Rylan Clark, Gary Lineker and Nicky Campbell also publicly denied any involvement following accusations on social media.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
BBC Broadcasting HousePACampbell, known for his role as a host on BBC Radio 5 Live, today said he was drawing a line and did not want to comment any further on the allegations.
The 62-year-old filed a complaint with the police about malicious communications sent to him over social media.
The scandal involving a household BBC name was reported by The Sun last week.
The tabloid claimed the now-suspended presenter paid £35,000 for sexually explicit images of a youth over a three-year period.
A second young person say they feel "threatened" by a BBC presenter at the centre of a scandal over payment for sexually explicit picturesPAThe parents of the recipient also claimed the young person was just 17 when the relationship started.
However, a lawyer for the young person appeared to refute the allegations on Monday.
They insisted nothing illegal had happened, adding the parents’ claims were “rubbish”.
Despite clear discrepancies, three more young people have come forward claiming they have been involved with the unnamed presenter.
Jeremy Vine in London
PA
The BBC star allegedly sent threatening messages to a young person in their early 20s after matching on a dating app.
The young person received the messages after alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinting about outing them.
Another person, aged 23, claimed the presenter broke coronavirus restrictions to meet them during national lockdown in February 2021.
A then-17-year-old also accused the presenter of sending “creepy” messages over Instagram in October 2018.
The messages supposedly contained love heart emojis and kisses.