Scott Mills said he co-operated fully with a police investigation into a historic allegation, that prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to charge him, and that he would make no further public comment. He released the statement through his lawyers on 1 April 2026, days after the BBC ended his contracts on 27 March 2026. The BBC says it acted on “new information”. BBC News reported that this was the age of the person who made the allegation, who was under 16 at the time of the alleged events. Mills has never been charged. This page was updated on 15 October 2026.
Key facts at a glance
| Question | Answer | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Who is he? | Scott Mills, former BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 presenter, born 28 March 1973 | Confirmed |
| When did the BBC end his contracts? | Friday 27 March 2026. Announced Monday 30 March | Confirmed by the BBC |
| What reason did the BBC give? | “New information” received in recent weeks | Confirmed by the BBC |
| What was the police case? | Opened December 2016. Questioned under caution July 2018. Closed May 2019 | Met Police, as reported |
| How did it end? | The CPS decided the evidential threshold had not been met | Confirmed, also in Mills’s statement |
| Was he charged? | No | Confirmed |
| When did he make a statement? | 1 April 2026, through his lawyers | Confirmed |
| Who replaced him? | Sara Cox, from Monday 6 July 2026 | Confirmed |
| Is he suing the BBC? | Reports say he is preparing an unfair dismissal claim. No filing has been confirmed | Not confirmed |
What did Scott Mills say in his statement?
Mills said that since the BBC announced his exit there had been “rumour and speculation”. He confirmed that a Metropolitan Police statement about an investigation related to him. In his words, as reported by the Irish Times and PA, the main points were:
- An allegation of a historic sexual offence was made against him in 2016.
- He co-operated fully with the police and responded to the allegation in 2018.
- A file went to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided the evidential threshold for charges had not been met.
- The allegation dates back nearly 30 years and the investigation closed seven years ago.
- He asked the public and the media to respect his wish not to comment further, and thanked colleagues and listeners for their support.
The statement did not discuss the BBC’s reasons for ending his contracts.
Why did the BBC sack Scott Mills?
The BBC said it received “new information” in recent weeks, spoke to Mills directly and ended his contracts on 27 March. It also said there is a limit to what it can say because of the rights of those involved, according to ITV News.
The BBC did not say what the new information was. BBC News later reported that it was the age of the person who made the allegation. That person was under 16 at the time of the alleged events, which the Met said related to 1997 to 2000. BBC News also said it was not clear whether managers knew the age in 2017. Treat this as reporting, not an official BBC statement.
What was the police investigation?
The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation in December 2016 into an allegation of serious sexual offences involving a person under 16, said to relate to 1997 to 2000. Here is the sequence, using dates from the Met as reported by PinkNews and the BBC’s own statements.
- 1997 to 2000The period the Met says the allegation relates to.
- December 2016The Met opens an investigation.
- 2017The BBC is made aware that an investigation exists.
- July 2018Mills is questioned under caution. He says he co-operated fully.
- May 2019The CPS decides the evidential threshold has not been met. The case is closed with no charge.
- January 2025Mills starts the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
- 27 March 2026The BBC ends his contracts after receiving new information.
- 30 and 31 March 2026The exit is announced. The BBC apologises for not following up a separate 2025 press query.
- 1 April 2026The BBC confirms it knew of the investigation in 2017. Mills issues his statement.
- 6 July 2026Sara Cox presents her first Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
A common mistake: many reports say Mills was “questioned in 2016”. The Met says the investigation began in December 2016 and he was questioned under caution in July 2018.
What did the BBC know, and when?
The BBC confirmed it was told in 2017 that a police investigation existed, and that the investigation closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge, as reported by Deadline. BBC News understands the director-general at the time did not know. The BBC also appointed Mills to the breakfast show in late 2024.
Separately, a freelance journalist sent the BBC a press query in 2025 about alleged “inappropriate communications”. The BBC did not follow it up and apologised on 31 March 2026. The BBC says it is doing more work to understand what was known and when. We found no published findings as of 15 October 2026.
The two accounts side by side
| Topic | BBC’s position | Mills’s position or reports |
|---|---|---|
| The police case | Knew of it from 2017. Closed 2019, no arrest or charge | Co-operated fully. Never charged |
| Why act in March 2026? | Received new information and spoke to him | Reports say he claims he gave the BBC full details at the time. The BBC has not confirmed this |
| What was known in 2017? | “More work” under way to understand it | No public comment beyond his statement |
| Legal action | No comment found | Reported as being prepared. Not confirmed or tested in any tribunal |
What has happened since the sacking?
- Neuroblastoma UK ended his role as a patron, and he stepped back as an ambassador for the MS Society, according to Civil Society.
- The Ibiza Symphonica concert in Harrogate removed him from its 15 August line-up, as reported by the Yorkshire Post.
- He was dropped as host of the BBC’s Race Across the World spin-off podcast.
- Sara Cox was named his replacement in April and presented her first Breakfast Show on 6 July 2026 after 16 weeks of cover, says Radio Today.
- Reports from May 2026 said he was consulting lawyers about an unfair dismissal claim. One outlet noted no formal claim had been filed. The BBC has not commented.
Scott Mills’s BBC pay and net worth
There is no verified net worth figure for Scott Mills, and we will not guess one. What is documented is his BBC pay. The BBC’s annual report for the year to March 2026 put him in the £745,000 to £749,999 band, the highest of any on-air presenter that year, according to PinkNews. In 2024/25 his band was £355,000 to £359,999, so it more than doubled after he took over the breakfast show.
BBC pay, lower end of published band (£ thousand)
Source: BBC annual report 2025/26 as reported by PinkNews, 15 July 2026. Pay is not net worth. The BBC lists only people paid above £178,000 and not those paid through independent production companies or BBC Studios.
Scott Mills’s BBC radio years by main weekday show (approximate)
- Radio 1: about 24 years (88%)
- Radio 2 afternoons: about 2.2 years (8%)
- Radio 2 breakfast: about 1.2 years (4%)
Source: our calculation from dates on Wikipedia (Radio 1 from October 1998, Radio 2 afternoons from 31 October 2022, breakfast from January 2025 to 24 March 2026). Rounded.
If you want to see how estimated net worth is covered for other public figures, we have guides to MrBeast’s net worth, Akon’s net worth and Jenna Sinatra’s net worth. Those are estimates. A BBC pay band is a published figure for one employer in one year.
Why so little can be reported
In 2022 the UK Supreme Court ruled in Bloomberg v ZXC that a person under criminal investigation usually has a reasonable expectation of privacy before they are charged. This is why UK media are often careful about naming people or giving details of police inquiries, and why information in cases like this can emerge slowly. It is also why the BBC says it must respect the rights of those involved.
Presumption of innocence
Being investigated is not the same as being guilty. Mills has said he co-operated fully and was never charged, and the CPS decided the evidential threshold was not met. An employer can end a contract for its own reasons without any criminal finding. Readers should be careful with rumours on social media, which can be defamatory.
Rely on official sources
For accurate updates, look to statements from the BBC, the police and the people involved, as reported by established news organisations. For his wider career, see our Scott Mills biography. For other BBC names in the news, you may want Gary Lineker’s BBC career, our guide to UK daytime TV presenters and our profile of Dermot O’Leary.
What to watch next
- A legal filing. Reports of an unfair dismissal claim have not been confirmed by any filing we could find.
- BBC findings. The BBC said it was doing more work on what it knew. Nothing has been published.
- Official statements. Any new comment from the BBC, the Met or the CPS would be reported by the main news outlets.
FAQs
What did Scott Mills say in his statement?
He said the Met statement related to him, that he co-operated fully with a police investigation into a historic allegation, and that the CPS decided there was not enough evidence to charge. He asked for no further comment.
Why was Scott Mills sacked by the BBC?
The BBC said it received new information in recent weeks. BBC News reported this was the age of the person who made the allegation, which was under 16. The BBC has not given more detail.
Was Scott Mills charged?
No. He was questioned under caution in July 2018. The CPS decided the evidential threshold had not been met and the case closed in May 2019.
What was the police investigation about?
The Met said it opened an investigation in December 2016 into an allegation of serious sexual offences involving a person under 16, said to relate to 1997 to 2000. No charge followed.
Did the BBC know about the investigation?
Yes. The BBC says it was made aware in 2017 that an investigation existed. It says it is doing more work to understand what was known at the time.
Who replaced Scott Mills on Radio 2?
Sara Cox. She presented her first Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Monday 6 July 2026, with Tom Hanks as her first guest.
Is Scott Mills suing the BBC?
Newspapers reported that he was consulting lawyers and preparing an unfair dismissal claim. We found no confirmed filing, and the BBC has not commented.
What is Scott Mills’s net worth?
There is no verified figure. The BBC reported his pay band for 2025/26 as £745,000 to £749,999, but pay is not the same as net worth.