Credit;PA
A male member of staff has been suspended following allegations an unnamed BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images, the broadcaster said.
The corporation said it was made aware of a complaint in May but that new allegations of a “different nature” were brought to it on Thursday.
The BBC said it takes any allegations “seriously”, confirming it has been in touch with external authorities alongside conducting its own inquiries.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said he is “wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent” after a host of BBC presenters were forced to publicly state they were not the individual in question amid heavy speculation about the identity on social media.
In a note sent to staff and seen by PA, Mr Davie said the corporation takes “all such allegations incredibly seriously”.
In a statement shared with PA, a BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.
“New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.”
The statement added that the corporation has a “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.
“This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps”, the BBC added.
“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.
“We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.”
