Staff at the BBC tell us the newsroom is “completely tormented” over whether the presenter at the centre of the scandal should name themselves publicly. The Corporation has been rocked over claims a star paid a young person for explicit photos, though the claims have been denied.
Fellow BBC star Jeremy Vine said today that the presenter needs to “come forward now”, citing “damage to the BBC” and suspicion being thrown on innocent colleagues, including himself. Several stars have issued denials following speculation that it was them.
But a source at the BBC told us this morning that they disagreed, and that many feel for the presenter, who is “incredibly popular”. They said some calls for him to identify himself were driven by “envy”. “The outrage from certain presenters has to be viewed as ambition,” they said.
Ex-Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon disagreed with Vine, saying online: “You’re more emotionally intelligent than this. We don’t know the complexities of what his family are going through... you can walk off people wrongly guessing it’s you for five minutes”.
Earlier this week, Channel 4’s Cathy Newman wrote that many Beeb presenters were “furious” over the guessing games, feeling they’d been “hung out to dry” by management. Meanwhile, former BBC newsreader Simon McCoy, who left for GB News, said of Beeb bosses: “It’s always their reaction to a crisis that ends up hurting them.”
Giant steps at the Tate
Actors Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana brought some Hollywood chic to Tate Britain last night at an exclusive screening of their new show Special Ops: Lioness. Kidman, who also produced the series, explained to guests that she was in town to stand in for fellow star Morgan Freeman, who was taken ill just before the press tour to London. In the Paramount+ spy drama, Saldana plays a CIA agent whose mission is to track the daughter of a dangerous terrorist, while Kidman is her boss. Saldana told attendees that it was “a bucket-list item... working with a giant like Nicole Kidman”. Kidman, who is over 5ft 10ins, and used to tower over her former husband Tom Cruise on the red carpet, joked gamely: “literally a giant”.
Clive’s day out
At least someone at the BBC is having a good week. News man Clive Myrie was made Pro Chancellor of the University of Bolton at a graduation ceremony yesterday by vice-chancellor George E Holmes. Myrie was born in Bolton and went to the University of Sussex before joining the Beeb. “My life as a broadcast journalist has taken me to many parts of the world but... there is no place like home,” Myrie said in a speech, adding the “future is bright” for students.
Nadine Dorries’s big reveal of book on Boris Johnson ‘assassination’
The front cover of Nadine Dorries’s new book has just been revealed, and if looks are anything to go by, it’s going to be hard hitting. The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, by the former Culture Secretary, who is still to formally resign from her role, will be released on September 28, through publishers HarperCollins. That’s just before Tory conference, where it is sure to be a topic of conversation.
Another ex-PM Theresa May’s new book, The Abuse of Power, described as “a searing exposé of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good”, is also set for release this autumn. The Register of Members Financial Interests, in which MP’s are required to disclose their extra curricular earnings, reveals that both women received the sum of £20,500 as an advance payment for their books, Dorries from HarperCollins and May from Headline.
Romeo takes his partner and nan to the tennis
At Wimbledon’s Evian suite yesterday, footballer Romeo and his partner Mia enjoyed the tennis with grandma Sandra. Also there were presenters AJ Odudu and Nick Grimshaw and singer Jess Glynne.
