The BBC has apologised for its response after it admitted concerns about “inappropriate communications” involving Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills were raised last year.
Yesterday (Monday March 30), it was reported that the DJ and presenter had been sacked following allegations over “personal conduct” – although no further details were shared at the time.
Since then, The Mirror has reported that the move related to a 2016 police investigation into “serious sexual offences” against a teenage boy. The outlet also claimed that the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence, and shared a statement from a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police, who shared details of the 2016 investigation.
“In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force. The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy. These were reported to taken place between 1997 and 2000,” they said.
“As part of these enquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview, was questioned by police under caution in July 2018. A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019.”
Now, the BBC has issued a fresh statement after The Telegraph claimed that the broadcaster knew of separate allegations against Mills almost a year ago – but seemingly no investigation was pursued.
The Telegraph report that a freelance journalist contacted the BBC last summer reporting that they had received information about “inappropriate communications” involving Mills. The journalist reportedly asked whether they were “ever aware of or involved in any related matters.”
The journalist also asked, according to The Telegraph, if it had received any “formal or informal complaints” about Mills “relating to safeguarding, inappropriate conduct or harassment.” They also asked whether or not an internal investigation into his alleged behaviour had taken place. The journalist did not receive a response, according to the outlet.
In a statement to Sky News, the broadcaster 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. More broadly, we would always urge anyone who has concerns or information to raise it with us.”
Mills joined BBC Radio 2’s weekday schedule after replacing Steve Wright in the afternoon slot in 2022. Before then, he had worked on BBC Radio 1 since 1998, and also hosted that station’s Official Chart show between 2018 and 2022.
He presented the Breakfast Show since January 2025 after taking over from Zoe Ball, and last week (Tuesday March 24), he ended his programme by telling listeners that he was “getting everything mixed up today” and would “try again tomorrow”. The following day, however, he was absent and Gary Davies stood in for him. No reason was given for why Mills was not on-air.
Then, an official statement was shared by the broadcaster, saying: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC”.
Lorna Clarke, Director of Music at BBC later shared a message with staff regarding the updates, saying: “I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock”, and Jeremy Vine then said on-air that he was “taken aback” by the news, but had no further details.
As well as his time on Radio 1 and Radio 2, Mills also hosted a weekend show on BBC Radio 5 Live. Beyond radio, he has appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, and in 2024 he won BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World with his husband Sam Vaughan.