BBC scandals in full – Scott Mills axed over historic relationship and ‘personal conduct’

Need to know

The BBC has come under fire over the years after a string of scandals linked to broadcasters; today, it was revealed Scott Mills had been sacked, relating to ‘personal conduct’

Everything we know about BBC scandals over the years

• In 1998, Blue Peter star Richard Bacon sent the corporation into meltdown. He was the face of one of the biggest kids’ TV shows, but it was revealed he’d taken cocaine.
• In 2007, a complaint was filed regarding Russell Brand, who allegedly urinated into a cup in front of his Radio 2 colleagues. The colleague also raised concerns about Brand’s behaviour, claiming he would bring “groups of girls” to the BBC offices. He has strongly denied all allegations. Following the complaint, the corporation stated that Brand had, in fact, urinated into a cup in the radio studio, as well as a bottle. It was said that Brand also acted aggressively, throwing objects at a screen, after a member of the production team made a mistake. No action was taken following the complaint.
• Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross brought the BBC into disrepute in October 2008. During a show on October 16 and a broadcast two days later, Brand, along with Ross, made a string of calls to Andrew Sachs’ home. It was during these calls that Brand claimed he had sexual relations with Georgina Baillie, the granddaughter of Sachs. He also made several lewd comments. After the corporation received complaints, Jonathan left the BBC, where he’d also fronted his own Friday night chat show. He later worked for ITV.
• Jimmy Savile was once the biggest name in entertainment, but on October 3, an ITV documentary aired, with several women who claimed that as teenagers they were sexually abused by Savile. The Met launched Operation Yewtree to investigate over 400 allegations, based on claims from 200 witnesses. The Met later stated that the total number of alleged victims was 589, with 450 allegedly abused by Savile. The complainants’ ages ranged from 8 to 47 at the time. These included 28 children under the age of 10, 10 boys aged eight, 63 girls between 13 and 16, and almost three-quarters of his alleged victims were under 18. 214 criminal offences were recorded, including 34 rapes across 28 police forces.
• Jeremy Clarkson’s contract with the BBC was ended in March 2015 following reports of a physical altercation with a producer. It emerged that Clarkson had punched the producer during an argument over Top Gear catering arrangements. On the 25th of the month, the corporation announced that Clarkson’s contract wouldn’t be renewed. His co-stars, Richard Hammond and James May, supported Clarkson by walking away from the show.
• In 2021, 26 years after his 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, Martin Bashir came under fire for the infamous Panorama interview. It was claimed that he lied in order to secure the interview. Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, issued statements slamming the presenter and said his methods were unethical.
• March 2023 saw Match of the Day star Gary Lineker suspended after a controversial social media post, during which he compared the Illegal Migration Bill to 1930s Germany. The BBC said this violated its impartiality policy, and many of Gary’s fellow sports presenters refused to work.
• In the same year, disgraced Huw Edwards’ wife revealed he was the BBC anchor behind a story relating to paying a young man for nude pictures since 2020. The man was 17, which could have been illegal in the UK. Edwards was suspended but was still paid. On July 29, he was charged with three counts of creating indecent images of children. He was handed a six-month suspended sentence on September 16, 2024.
• Mrs Brown’s Boys also faced controversy over a racist joke made by Brendan O’Carroll during a rehearsal of a Christmas special in 2024. The BBC ordered an urgent investigation and suspended rehearsals for the episode.
• Gregg Wallace stepped away from MasterChef in 2024 following allegations of historic misconduct. There had been allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people. An inquiry by law firm Lewis Silkin in 2025 found that 45 of 83 claims against Wallace, including an allegation of co-star John Torode using an “offensive racist term”, were upheld.
• In 2025, a female presenter was alleged to have shown an image of a man’s genitals to a junior member of staff who was left “horrified and tearful”. The presenter in question apologised, and her identity was not disclosed.
• Scott Mills, who had been at the corporation for almost three decades, was relieved of duties this weekend. The Mirror revealed that this was related to personal conduct during a historic relationship dating back more than ten years.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: Scott Mills sacked by BBC Radio 2 as relationship complaint exposed

Follow mirror: