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Sara Cox is said to be next in line for the Radio 2 Breakfast Show gig after Scott Mills was sacked from the BBC.
The veteran broadcaster, 51, who presented BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast Show for three years, is ‘seen as the heir apparent for the role’.
Sara is also set to replace the DJ on the BBC’s Eurovision coverage.
Scott, 53, was sacked last month after it was discovered he had been the subject of allegations of ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy under 16.
The allegations he faced are said to have happened between 1997 and 2000, police said, while Mills was in his mid-20s.
He was questioned under caution by police in 2018 but the case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 due to a lack of evidence. The BBC admitted that it knew about the allegations as far back as 2017.
New reports have claimed Sara is being eyed up as his replacement and set to be offered the job this summer.
A source told The Sun: ‘Sara is the heir apparent for the Breakfast Show job. Since Scott left, she has been the name which has been discussed as the best candidate and everyone at Radio 2 is saying she will be offered it.
‘Sara has made a huge success of her drivetime slot and is hugely popular at the station, plus she’s hosted the Breakfast Show as a stand-in before.
‘The BBC won’t be rushing this through as they want the dust to settle. But Sara is the one in line and, as far as her colleagues are concerned, she is the best person for the job.’
A BBC Spokesperson said: ‘Further news on a permanent replacement will follow in due course.’
The Daily Mail contacted Sara’s representatives for comment.
In an extraordinary statement issued via his lawyers to the Daily Mail, Scott broke his silence to admit he was the subject of the investigation.
Meanwhile insiders have said there is ‘total shock’ at the corporation after Scott’s sacking and the star is reportedly not taking calls from his worried friends.
Lorna Clarke, Director of Music, told BBC staff in an email last month: ‘I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC.
‘I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock.
‘Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV.
‘I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.
‘Of course, it will also come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too.
‘I will update everyone with more information on plans for the show when I’m able to.
‘While I appreciate many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I am not going to be saying anything.’
The broadcaster said that it was not clear if BBC managers at the time of the investigation knew about the age of the boy involved in the sexual offence allegations. Current managers reportedly only became aware in recent weeks and acted to get rid of him.
They are now going through emails and HR records from the time before speaking to staff about what they knew about the Met Police investigation and whether they knew the complainant was a child.
Scott broke his silence by releasing a statement to admit he was the subject of the investigation, before thanking fans and former colleagues for reaching out.
He insisted he ‘fully cooperated and responded’ at the time of the police probe. But he did not not address the allegations.
His full statement read: ‘The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation. In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.
‘An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018.
‘As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.
‘Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.
‘I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss.’
In a statement, a spokesman for the BBC said: ‘Scott Mills had a long career across the BBC, he was hugely popular and we know the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many.
‘What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday, March 27.
‘The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear that action would be taken if these were not met.
‘Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made.
‘We are doing more work to understand the details of what was known by the BBC at this time.’
The star is reportedly not taking calls from his worried friends following his sacking.
A source has told the Daily Mirror that Scott ‘has gone to ground’ since the decision was made and friends are ‘struggling to contact him’.
‘The show was his life and he is facing oblivion,’ a friend has told the newspaper.
The Mirror also claimed days after his sacking that his close friends and acquaintances have been ‘left totally blindsided by events of the last few days’ and that they knew nothing about his exit until it came out or the police investigation back in 2016.
DJ Gary Davies has been standing in for Scott on the breakfast show since the sacking, and the broadcaster is said to be working tirelessly behind-the-scenes to find a long term replacement.
Amongst the names being touted are Rylan Clark and OJ Borg after frontrunner Vernon Kay and Claudia Winkleman ‘have ruled themselves out’.
OJ, whose real name is Oliver James Borg, hosts a live overnight show from midnight to 3am every weekday. He is said to be a ‘wildcard’ amongst bosses.
Potential hosts are also said to be wary of showing they are too keen to avoid ‘vulture circling’.
