The BBC has removed all episodes of Top of the Pops featuring Scott Mills from its iPlayer streaming service, following the radio presenter's sacking in March over allegations of historical sexual offences.
Mills, 53, was axed from his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after the corporation received compelling new information. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his 40s was investigated over allegations dating from 1997 to 2000, involving a teenage boy under 16. The investigation, which began in 2016, was closed in 2019 after the Crown Prosecution Service deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
The three episodes of Top of the Pops removed from iPlayer originally aired in 1999, when Mills hosted the show and introduced acts including Billie Piper, Mariah Carey, and Westlife. The programme, which ended in 2006, is still regularly repeated, but the episodes featuring Mills have now been wiped from the streaming platform.
In a statement following his dismissal, Mills said: 'An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence, which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully co-operated and responded to in 2018.' He added that he hoped the public and media would respect his wish not to comment further.
The BBC has said it is 'doing more work to understand the detail of what was known by the BBC at this time.' Former director general Tony Hall was reportedly not aware of the allegations during his tenure.
