Since the bombshell news of Scott Mills’ sudden departure from his prestigious BBC Radio 2 breakfast slot on Monday, Broadcasting House has been in a state of shock.
The furore surrounding his sacking, announced by BBC bosses the following day, shows no sign of dying down.
Mills turned 53 on Saturday. Rather than celebrate his birthday with friends, sources say he kept a low profile at his mother’s country home in Sussex.
They claim that just hours after being axed, Mills boarded a train to the leafy town of Mayfield. The presenter is said to share a close bond with his mother, Sandra – a multiple sclerosis sufferer – who separated from his father when Scott was 14.
But it seems the presenter has now returned to his home in London after he was spotted by one onlooker, who said: ‘He seemed very solemn. No one was really bothering him because it was quiet – it wasn’t rush hour. It was around 4pm. He must have been heading back from his mum’s house.’
I’m told staff at the BBC have been left reeling by the departure of the man once described by insiders as ‘radio’s Cristiano Ronaldo’ – which they say came without so much as a goodbye.
One employee told me: ‘There are a lot of hurting people here. He was very popular.’
Executives were ‘obsessed with him’ according to one insider and treated him ‘like royalty’.
It’s been revealed that the Beeb was aware of a police investigation into Mills as far back as 2017, yet the corporation continued to support – and promote – him.
Hampshire Police said sexual offence allegations against Mills relating to a boy under the age of 16 were first reported by a third party in 2016, adding that the force logged the details and passed on information to the Metropolitan Police for investigation.
The Met confirmed they questioned Mills over the accusations that year but the Crown Prosecution Service found there was not enough evidence and closed the case in 2019. Mills was kept on air despite bosses knowing he was interviewed under caution between 2018 and 2019.
The BBC has declined to say precisely why he has now been dismissed, other than that it was related to his ‘personal conduct’.
Mills’ close friends are said to be stunned – not only by the allegations now swirling – but from what they see as a lack of openness. One said: ‘All of this has gone on but he hasn’t told us. Who knows where this leaves any friendship with him now? The least he can do is give us some explanation. He portrays the image of being the nicest guy in the world. Now we know this and it’s heartbreaking. I don’t know where we go from here – it feels like a giant kick in the stomach.’
That sense of shock is being echoed across media circles.
Central to Mills’ professional life for many years was Megan Carver, a former Radio 1 producer who later founded her own company, Carver PR, and now represents clients including Mills’ former Eurovision presenting partner Rylan Clark.
After working with Mills at the station, she went on to represent him as his publicist, helping shape his image as his career expanded across radio and television.
It appears Carver stopped working with the DJ recently and he is now represented by Big Red Talent – who also look after radio hosts Chris Stark and Charlie Sloth.
One thing is sure: Mills will need their help as long as this scandal shows no sign of going away.
