Scott Mills sacked by BBC: Did an old police probe into alleged sex offences against teen boy play a part?

Dubai: The BBC’s decision to sack Scott Mills relates to a 2016 police investigation into “serious sexual offences” against a teenage boy, according to a Mirror report.

Mills was questioned by police under caution but the case was dropped because of a lack of evidence. However the news outlet claims the sacking relates to this individual.

The report quoted the Metropolitan Police spokesperson saying: “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. 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 claims related to when Mills joined BBC Radio 1 and it’s not known if the BBC were told of the investigation at the time. 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.

The Mirror broke news of the star presenter’s sacking on Monday morning shortly before BBC staff were informed by email.

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.

The 53-year-old presenter was abruptly taken off air last Wednesday while the BBC assessed the information. Over the weekend he was told his contract had been terminated.

In an email sent to staff, BBC Director of Music Lorna Clarke confirmed the sudden exit.

“I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC,” she wrote, acknowledging that the news would come as a shock to many colleagues who had worked with him across multiple BBC platforms.

The BBC later issued a brief statement confirming the departure but declined to comment further. “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 spokesperson said.

Fellow presenter Jeremy Vine told listeners on his BBC Radio 2 programme that he had only learned of the development minutes before going on air.

“I was taken aback by that opening story to the news,” he said. “I had not heard anything about it until just minutes ago, when it appeared on the BBC website.”

Mills had signed off his show the previous day telling listeners he would be back the following morning, but he was replaced without explanation by presenter Gary Davies.

Mills joined the BBC in the late 1990s and spent more than 25 years working across radio and television. He moved to BBC Radio 2 in 2022 to host the afternoon show before taking over the flagship breakfast programme from Zoe Ball in 2025.

His career also included appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, where he competed in the 12th series, and the celebrity edition of Race Across the World, which he won with his husband Sam Vaughan in 2024.

The BBC is now holding internal discussions about who will permanently replace him on the breakfast programme and other upcoming projects.