BBC issues fresh statement on Scott Mills' axe as it confirms it KNEW of police probe

Lydia Davies
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:53:01 +0000

The BBC has addressed Scott Mills' departure for the first time since cutting ties with the Radio 2 DJ on Monday.

A BBC spokesperson said: “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.

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“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, March 27.“

"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.

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“Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2018 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.”

Mr Mills was sacked by the BBC on Monday, with the corporation stating it was down to the 53-year-old's "personal conduct".

The broadcaster's original statement read: "While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC."

Shortly after news of his exit was confirmed, the Mirror reported that Mr Mills was questioned by the police in 2018 regarding historic sexual offences allegations dating back to the late 1990s.

The Met Police later confirmed that in 2018, "a man in his 40s" had been questioned about historic sexual offence allegations between 1997 and 2000.

The allegations centred on alleged offences against a teenage boy under the age of 16.

However, in 2019, the investigation, which was launched in December 2016, was dropped as the Crown Prosecution Service deemed the evidence didn't meet the threshold to proceed.

No charges were ever brought, and the BBC hasn't confirmed if the investigation played any role in Mr Mills' dismissal.

BBC News had previously claimed that the director general at the time of the police investigation, Tony Hall, did not know about the allegations.

The corporation did issue an apology on Tuesday, however, after a journalist told the Telegraph that they had contacted the BBC last year with queries about Mr Mills' conduct in relation to a separate alleged incident.

The journalist never received a response from the corporation.

A spokesperson apologised for the lack of response and admitted more should have been done to follow up on the query.

Less than 24 hours after the BBC apologised to the Telegraph, it has been claimed that "compelling new evidence" related to the Met Police's investigation was brought to the BBC's attention, which played a role in Mr Mills' axe.

According to the Mirror, fresh details that are different to the claims made during the investigation have been brought to light.

The BBC is reported to have assessed the alleged new details provided to them by the person at the centre of the now-closed investigation and "decided (Mr Mills) had to go".

The nature of the "compelling new information" has not been made public, and its reported existence does not imply any criminal wrongdoing.

GB News has contacted the BBC and Mr Mills for comment regarding the latest reports.