Male member of staff has been suspended, the BBC confirms

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.”

I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.

— Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) July 9, 2023

This comes after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke to BBC director-general Tim Davie who assured her that the BBC is investigating the allegations swiftly and sensitively.

Following the phone call, she tweeted: “I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.

“He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.

“Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.”

The BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have 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.

“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.”