The BBC has issued an apology after it emerged that the corporation failed to properly respond to allegations about Scott Mills raised by a journalist last year. Mills, the former Radio 2 breakfast show host, was sacked on Monday over his “personal conduct”.
According to The Telegraph, a freelance journalist contacted the BBC in May 2025 with information about separate allegations of “inappropriate communications” involving Mills. The journalist asked whether the broadcaster had ever received any complaints about the presenter relating to safeguarding or harassment, but did not receive a response.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We received a press query in 2025 which included limited information. This should have been followed up and we should have asked further questions. We apologise for this and will look into why this did not happen.”
Mills was taken off air last week and his contract terminated on Monday. The Mirror reported that his sacking related to a 2016 police investigation into alleged serious sexual offences against a teenage boy, which was dropped in 2019 due to lack of evidence. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his 40s was questioned under caution in July 2018, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges.
Following his dismissal, the charity Neuroblastoma UK confirmed it had parted ways with Mills, who had been a patron. The BBC has faced repeated crises over the conduct of high-profile figures, including Huw Edwards and Tim Westwood.
