The BBC has confirmed it was aware that Scott Mills, one of its top broadcasters, was the subject of a police investigation in 2017.
In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC said they were aware that Mills was being investigated for alleged serious sexual offenses against a young boy.
The case was closed in 2019 after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case in court. Mills has yet to comment after being sacked by the BBC days ago.
The BBC’s admission raises serious questions about why the organization kept Mills on air in 2017, when he was a top performer on Radio 1. Ben Cooper was managing the station at the time, and Tony Hall was the BBC’s director general.
Mills moved to Radio 2 in 2022, before being promoted to host the station The Breakfast Showone of the biggest radio shows in the UK. He was paid up to £360,000 ($479,000) last year, although this was before he established himself as a top-earning breakfast bar.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was closed in 2019 with no arrests or charges. We are doing a lot of work to understand the details of what the BBC knew at this time.”
The police investigation concerned incidents between 1997 and 2000, and was reportedly related to allegations involving a boy under 16 years of age, the legal age of consent in the UK. Mills was 23-24 in 1997.
Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Police said the man, believed to be Mills, was questioned by vigilante officers in July 2018. The evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. The case was closed in May 2019.
The BBC said it had moved to fire Mills after “new information” emerged “in recent weeks.” The organization spoke to the presenter directly. “As a result, the BBC has taken serious action in line with our culture and principles and terminated his contract on Friday 27 March,” the BBC said.
Separately this week, the BBC apologized for not looking into various allegations surrounding Mills last year. The BBC was contacted by freelance journalist Anna Brees in May 2025 about information she had received about “inappropriate communications” involving Mills, but did not receive a response.
Full BBC statement
“Scott Mills worked for a long time at the BBC, he was very popular and we know that the news this week shocked and surprised many.
“We also see that there is a lot of speculation in the media and on the internet since Monday. We hope that people understand that there is a limit to what we can say because we have to pay attention to the rights of those affected.
“What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we have received new information about Scott and we have spoken to him directly, and as a result, the BBC has taken decisive action in line with our culture and principles and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.
“The BBC has made a significant commitment to improving its culture, practices and standards. Last year, following an independent review of the culture, we set out behavioral expectations for everyone working with or for the BBC and were clear about the steps that would be taken if these were not met.
“Separately, we can confirm that the BBC was informed in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was closed in 2019 with no arrests or charges. We are doing a lot of work to understand the details of what the BBC knew at this time.”
