Scott Mills was abruptly taken off air by the BBC last week before his sacking over allegations related to his ‘personal conduct’
Police say boy at the centre of Scott Mills’ sex offence investigation was under 16(Image: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)
Scott Mills was investigated for serious sex offence allegations over a teenage boy who was under the age of 16, it was revealed today. The investigation was later closed due to lack of evidence.
The Metropolitan Police said a man, who was in his 40s at the time of the interview in 2016, was investigated over allegations reported to have happened between 1997 and 2000.
Today, BBC News reported that director general at the time, Tony Hall, was not aware of the allegations.
The investigation was dropped in 2019 after the CPS deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. As first reported by the Mirror, Mills was sacked over allegations relating to his ‘personal conduct’ after his final Breakfast Show last Tuesday.
Mills was abruptly taken off air and replaced by colleague Gary Davies without warning. He had signed off with: “See you tomorrow.”
Scott Mills has been sacked by the BBC after hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast show since January 2025(Image: BBC/PA Wire)
The BBC then confirmed his sacking in a statement: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”
A source close to the BBC say they acted “quickly and decisively” last week following a complaint. The BBC is understood to have updated the complainant following Mills’ sacking, and are in contact with them.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “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 have taken place between 1997 and 2000.
“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.”
The Mirror broke news of the star presenter’s sacking on Monday morning shortly before BBC staff were informed by email. They were left “shell-shocked” by Mills’ departure, and there were “audible” gasps in the newsroom. It comes as the 53-year-old was taken off air last Wednesday following the unnamed person’s complaint while the BBC urgently assessed the information.
Mills, who only took over the flagship breakfast show from Zoe Ball in 2025, was then told his contract was terminated at the weekend. Lorna Clarke, the BBC’s Director of Music told staff in an email: “I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC. I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock. Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV. I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.”
She added: “Of course, it will also come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too. I will update everyone with more information on plans for the show when I’m able to. While I appreciate many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I am not going to be saying anything further now.”
The BBC said in a statement: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”
Today Mills’ BBC colleagues have reacted by sharing their shock at Mills’ dismissal.
Speaking on This Morning, Dermot O’Leary who hosts a weekly Saturday morning show, said: BBC Radio 2 is “a family” and everyone was taken aback. He said: “As part of the Radio 2 family – and it is a family, everyone gets together, it’s a lovely place to work, it’s very collegiate. This came as a complete shock to everybody, it came from nowhere.”
Jeremy Vine broke the news on air to listeners at 12pm on Monday. He admitted was “taken aback” by the news, saying: “Obviously, I was taken aback by that opening story to the news. I had not heard anything about it until 17 minutes ago, when it was on the BBC website, and I only had the information that was given to you in the bulletin, I have nothing more, that it was allegations about Scott Mills’s personal conduct, which have led to him being sacked. I have no more than that. Alright, on to today’s show.”
Asked if there had been rumours about Mills, his former Radio 1 colleague Nihal Arthanayake said today: “This industry that we’ve all worked in for a number of years is actually quite small, and if you are ‘a bit of a wrong ‘un’ eventually people just say, in corridors, ‘Oh, he or she’s a bit of a wrong ‘un’.
“In all of my years, 12 years at Radio 1, I didn’t ever hear a bad word said about Scott Mills, I have to just say that. That was the reality, that was my experience and others’ experience, and he worked with a number of production teams across Radio 1.
“And then, of course, interestingly as well, if he had been a complete wrong ‘un, eventually those career opportunities tend to taper off, because people go to different places, and they become higher up the food chain, and people say, ‘We’d rather not work with him’.
“But it was quite the opposite to Scott Mills, his career was getting bigger and bigger and bigger, whether it be Eurovision or Race Across The World.”
Outgoing director-general Tim Davie will leave the BBC this week.He will be replaced by interim director-general, Rhodri Talfan Davies, on April 2, before former Google boss Matt Brittin becomes permanent director-general on May 18.
