The BBC has confirmed it was aware that Scott Mills, one of its highest-profile radio presenters, was the subject of a police investigation in 2017.
In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC said it knew that Mills was being investigated over allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy.
The case closed in 2019 after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to pursue the matter in court. Mills is yet to comment after being fired by the BBC in recent days.
The BBC’s admission raises serious questions about why the corporation kept Mills on-air in 2017, when he was a prominent fixture on Radio 1. Ben Cooper was in charge of the radio station at the time, while Tony Hall was BBC director general.
Mills moved over to Radio 2 in 2022, before being elevated to hosting the station’s Breakfast Show, one of the biggest radio shows in the UK. He was paid as much as £360,000 ($479,000) last year, though this was before he had established himself in the breakfast slot on a higher salary.
A BBC spokesperson said: “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.”
The police investigation concerned events between 1997 and 2000, and reportedly related to allegations concerning a boy under the age of 16, the legal age of consent in the UK. Mills was 23–24 years old in 1997.
Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Police said a man, thought to be Mills, was questioned by officers under caution in July 2018. Evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined the evidential threshold was not met to bring charges. The case was closed in May 2019.
The BBC said it moved to fire Mills after “new information” came to light in “recent weeks.” The corporation spoke with the presenter directly. “As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March,” the BBC said.
Separately this week, the BBC apologized for not looking into separate allegations relating to Mills last year. The BBC was contacted by freelance journalist Anna Brees in May 2025 regarding information she had received about alleged “inappropriate communications” involving Mills, but she did not receive a response.
Full BBC Statement
“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.”
