Jeremy Vine has spoken out about the shock sacking of his former colleague Scott Mills from the BBC over alleged historical sexual offences. The 60-year-old radio and television presenter described feeling 'in shock and grief' after learning of the decision.
The alleged offences are believed to have occurred between 1997 and 2000, when Mills was in his mid-20s. He was reportedly questioned by police under caution in 2018, but the Crown Prosecution Service did not pursue the case in 2010 due to a lack of evidence.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Vine described Mills as a 'popular bloke' among colleagues and said he sent him a text after learning of the sacking, stating: 'I hold you in the highest regard and I wish you all the best.' Vine initially thought the news was an 'AI spoof' or that his laptop had a 'virus'.
Vine said the situation has been 'draining and upsetting', adding: 'I'm not drawing comparisons with Huw Edwards, but Huw was not a popular person. Scott was very well-liked.' He noted that Edwards, who pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children in 2024, 'bullied upwards' rather than underlings.
Vine only learned of Mills' sacking 17 minutes before going on air, telling listeners: 'I was taken aback by that opening story to the news... I had not heard anything about it until 17 minutes ago.' BBC News correspondent Sima Kotecha reported 'gasps' in the newsroom when the sacking was announced, calling it 'mega news'.
