BBC’s Jeremy Vine breaks silence on ‘shock and grief’ over Scott Mills’ Radio 2 exit

It’s been a tumultuous few months over at the BBC, which is still in “shock and grief” after the sacking of longtime BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills, according to Jeremy Vine.

Back in March, Scott, 53, was let go from the BBC, following allegations regarding his personal conduct. It transpired that the broadcaster had been previously questioned by the police over “sexual serious allegations” against a boy aged under 16, which occurred between 1997 and 2000. The case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

With many confused listeners still left wondering who could be taking Scott’s place, BBC Radio 2’s lunchtime host Jeremy Vine has broken his silence on the sacking of his former colleague, and revealed the words he sent to Scott after he found out the news. 

The BBC’s reaction 

In an interview with The Telegraph, Jeremy, 60, explained that the BBC is still in “shock and grief” over Scott’s axing, adding that it came out of the blue as the broadcaster was “a very popular bloke”. 

Despite working within the BBC itself, Jeremy found out the news on the day just like the rest of us – via a news headline that came up on his computer. 

“I thought, that’s really annoying because obviously there’s a virus in the laptop. Or it’s spoof news. It looked like a stupid AI thing, you know? And then I hit the keys a few times and it turned out to be true. I went back upstairs and my editor had gone as white as a sheet,” he said. 

© Getty

For Jeremy, the news was hard to comprehend, as Scott was very well liked. He then added: “None of that is to defend what may or may not have happened, I only know the same as you.”

Jeremy’s text message to Scott

While Jeremy admitted he didn’t know Scott as well as other BBC colleagues, he did get along well with him and sent him a message after hearing the news of his departure. 

“I did message him just to say, ‘I hold you in the highest regard and I wish you all the best,'” Jeremy said. “At the time, I didn’t know all the facts. I still don’t.”

© Mike Marsland/WireImage

What happened after Scott was sacked?

Since his BBC sacking, Scott has faced a number of public setbacks, including his removal from the Ibiza Symphonica summer concert line-up, his upcoming Great Celebrity Bake Off appearance and his “stepping back” from his role as an ambassador for MS Society.

What has Scott said?

Two days after the news broke of his removal from the BBC, Scott released a statement on social media. It began: “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.

© BBC/Owen Scurfield

“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.”

He added: “Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 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.”