Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has held urgent talks with BBC director-general Tim Davie over "deeply concerning" allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.
Senior Government officials have told the broadcaster that the allegations reported by The Sun newspaper must be investigated "urgently and sensitively", and insisted that the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) be kept updated with investigations. A phone call took place on Sunday afternoon between Frazer and Davie, after which the Culture Secretary issued an update on Twitter.
"I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters," she wrote in a tweet. "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."
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby supported by co-stars as she shares heartbreaking family loss
According to The Sun, the BBC star in question paid the teen, who is said to have been 17 when the payments began, £35,000 in exchange for the images. The teenager's mother told The Sun she saw a picture of the presenter on her child's phone "sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear".
The mother said she was told it was "a picture from some kind of video call" and looked like he was "getting ready for my child to perform for him". The family were said to have complained to the BBC on May 19, but allegedly became frustrated that the star remained on air. It is understood he is not due to be on air in the near future.
A DCMS spokeswoman said: "These allegations are deeply concerning. As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the department kept informed."
The BBC has been urged to act "very swiftly" to deal with the claims, with multiple MPs having since publicly raised concern over the allegations. A number of BBC stars have since spoken out to deny that they are the presenter at the centre of the allegations, amid heavy speculation on social media.
Match of the Day frontman Gary Lineker tweeted: "Hate to disappoint the haters but it's not me."
Rylan Clark, who recently stepped down from Strictly's It Takes Two, also wrote: "Not sure why my name's floating about but re that story in the Sun – that ain't me babe. I'm currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths."
Jeremy Vine added: "Just to say I’m very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday - whoever the 'BBC Presenter' in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain't me."
Additionally, regular BBC presenter Nicky Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being falsely mentioned online in connection with the story. "I think it's important to take a stand. There's just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends," he wrote.
A BBC spokesperson said: "We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them. As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.
"That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation. If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
"If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes."
