The BBC confirmed it was aware of a sexual offence police investigation into Scott Mills in 2017. Mills was dismissed by the BBC in late March 2025 after new information was obtained. According to multiple reports, the new information received by the BBC related to the same alleged victim but was different from previous claims.
Mills was investigated by police over allegations of serious sexual offences against a boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000. The police investigation was launched in December 2016 after allegations were reported by a third party. According to research, the Metropolitan Police launched a probe into allegations against Scott Mills in December 2016 following a referral from another police force.
Time actually does fly when you’re having fun, and that’s certainly been the case over the past 24 years at my beloved Radio 1.
Mills was questioned under caution by police in July 2018. The Crown Prosecution Service closed the case in May 2019 due to insufficient evidence. According to research, a full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Crown Prosecution Service determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following the CPS advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019. Mills continued to host BBC shows during the police investigation from 2018-2019.
The station I pretended to be on in my bedroom from the age of six. The station I told my mum I wanted to work at, but never in a million years thought I would.
Mills had worked for the BBC for 27 years before his dismissal. Mills confirmed in a statement that the police investigation related to him. According to multiple reports, Mills was interviewed by police following the drugs death of his boyfriend Mitchell Berger in 2000.
According to multiple reports, Mills met his husband Sam Vaughan in 2016, around the time the police investigation began. The BBC apologized for not following up on a press query in 2025 about the allegations. Mills was removed from the Ibiza Symphonica concert line-up due to the serious nature of allegations.
I really cannot believe I’m going to be calling Radio 2 my new home!
Mills stepped back as an ambassador for MS Society UK and parted ways with Neuroblastoma UK. In October 1998, Scott Mills first joined BBC Radio 1 to present the early breakfast show between 4am and 7am. Before joining BBC Radio 1, Scott Mills had been on local radio stations including Hampshire's Power FM, QWR FM Bristol, and Heart in London.
By December 2016, Scott Mills had climbed to a weekday afternoon slot on Radio 1, which was subsequently renamed The Scott Mills Show. In July 2018, Scott Mills was a well-known BBC regular, having taken over the Friday afternoon Official Chart slot the previous month. In October 2022, after 20 years on Radio 1, Scott Mills moved to BBC Radio 2 to take over the afternoon slot from the late Steve Wright.
According to research, Scott Mills had been one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC, with a salary of £315,000 to £319,999 in 2025 after replacing Zoe Ball on the Breakfast Show. According to research, Scott Mills had been announced as the host for the Race Across The World spin-off podcast weeks before being dropped. Roy Wood Jr mocked Scott Mills on Have I Got News For You over his dismissal.
The specific new information the BBC obtained in March 2025 that led to Mills' dismissal has not been disclosed. The exact nature of the allegations against Mills, beyond the general description of serious sexual offences, remains unclear. The identity and current status of the alleged victim have not been revealed.
The details of the referral from another police force that initiated the Metropolitan Police probe in December 2016 are not publicly known. Questions persist about the BBC's handling failures beyond the acknowledged lapse in responding to press queries.