BBC sports presenter Tony Livesey has left Radio 5 Live for good after 16 years. His exit was confirmed by the broadcaster following a period of absence that began in June after a Panorama documentary focused on former Daily Sport owner David Sullivan.
BBC confirms departure
The BBC broke the news to staff via a letter, as reported by the Mirror, with 5 Live controller Heidi Dawson paying tribute to Livesey's considerable contribution to the station for more than a decade and a half.
In her message to colleagues, Dawson said: "I wanted to let you know that Tony Livesey has decided to leave his presenting role on 5 Live. Tony has worked at 5 Live for 16 years and was the first voice for us on air as we launched from our new home in Salford. Tony built a loyal late night audience, often with our greatly missed colleague, Rachael Bland, at his side."
"He went on to be the voice of our iconic Drive show for 10 years where he was at the heart of our coverage of Brexit. He reported from the Falkland Islands and RAF Akrotiri, and was a key part of our presenting team at the London and Paris Olympics as well as hosting our Wimbledon coverage for six years. Tony grew Drive's audience, particularly through Covid alongside Anna Foster with positive stories of hope that the audience were desperate to hear."
"Tony has been at the heart of our coverage of every major news and sporting event for a decade and a half. He won prestigious ARIAS and APA awards for his reporting about how it feels to lose your mum as a child, and an ARIAS Gold award after he was asked by Dame Deborah James to conduct her last ever interview."
Panorama investigation context
His exit comes nearly two months after the Panorama programme, titled Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss, was broadcast. The documentary featured seven women who made allegations of sexual exploitation against Sullivan during the period when he ran the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers.
Sullivan has "categorically denied" all claims made against him. He has since stepped down as joint-chair and director of West Ham United FC, saying he wishes to fight what he calls false accusations.
Before building his broadcasting career, Livesey had worked with Sullivan, serving as editor-in-chief of the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport. He spent 18 years with the company before leaving in 2006, eventually landing his own 5 Live programme in 2010.
Livesey's response
He has not been on air since June 8, and his late-night show – which goes out between 10pm and 1am – has been off the schedule throughout his absence. The Panorama investigation drew attention to a passage in a book Livesey wrote in 1998, which suggested that he and Sullivan had together come up with the "countdown to 16" feature. The segment counted down to the 16th birthdays of young models, the age at which they could legally be photographed topless for publication.
Livesey has strongly rejected this, saying the idea was "categorically" not his and that substantial parts of the book were "fictionalised" in a way that placed him at the centre of events he was not involved in. The BBC announced on June 9 that Livesey had "asked to step back from presenting his radio show for a short period" while bosses reviewed the issues raised by Panorama. That short-term arrangement has now become a permanent departure.
During the documentary, a woman identified only as Florence alleged that Livesey had put her in touch with Sullivan, who subsequently invited her to his home. Livesey said he had "no recollection" of the phone call Florence described, and insisted that making introductions of that nature had never been any part of his role. He said he had "great sympathy for a woman who may have become a victim" but firmly rejected any claim that he had played "any role whatsoever in that scenario", calling the allegation "abhorrent".
Sullivan's statement
Sullivan, 77, says that he "categorically denies" the allegations made in the joint investigation by Panorama and The Times, which relate to the period during which he built his fortune through pornography, newspapers and football.
In a statement announcing his West Ham resignation, Sullivan said: "After very careful consideration and with a heavy heart, I have decided to resign as joint-chair and director of West Ham United FC with immediate effect. This has been an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect, and responsibility toward a football club and a fan base that deserve absolute unity and focus moving forward."
He added: "After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I believe the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media."
"I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations. None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football. I am stepping down to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations."
