Unearthed footage from 2007 shows radio host Chris Moyles joking with singer Charlotte Church about offering to take her virginity when she was 15. The clip, from The Charlotte Church Show, saw a then 21-year-old Church confront Moyles about comments he made in 2002, when she was still a teenager. Moyles was 27 at the time.
Confrontation on The Charlotte Church Show
In the clip, Church confronted Moyles, saying: "We haven't always been so close, do you remember why?" A stammering Moyles replied: "Well, yeah, but that was… it wasn't…" as Church demanded: "Why don't you explain your behaviour, Chris, and stop babbling?"
Moyles said: "Right, well, once you were young." When Church asked how young, he said: "Under 16. And then…" Church clarified: "I call that 15." Moyles responded: "Yeah, but you were going to be 16. And I offered to take your virginity. But-"
Moyles' Explanation
Church asked: "What exactly did you say?" and Moyles replied: "Do you know, I think this is actually very sweet. I offered to lead Charlotte through the forest of her own sexuality." When Church clarified that she was "a 15-year-old girl," Moyles tried to argue: "No, you were 16! You were!" Church insisted she was 15, but Moyles said: "Well, you told me you were 16."
In a 2023 interview, Church admitted she "became fair game" when she turned 16, confessing: "That lads, lads, lads culture was dominant. It was very simplistic, it was unashamed, it was just out there and everybody knew what it was. But now it's become more underground, and more dangerous."
Broadcasting Standards Criticism
At the time of the broadcast, Moyles' comments were criticised by the Broadcasting Standards Commission, which said they were inappropriate. The BSC said that "the explicit sexual content and humour had exceeded acceptable boundaries for the time of transmission." However, the BBC insisted the comments were "Moyles' sense of humour and not meant to be taken seriously."
A complaint was also upheld against him at a prior job at Capital Radio, regarding his "aggressive and sexually suggestive" comments to a young female caller. Express.co.uk has contacted Moyles' representatives for comment.
