BBC scandals involving high-profile stars to have shocked over the years

The BBC has been hit by several scandals involving high-profile stars over the years.

The broadcaster’s reputation has been rocked by a series of wrongdoings which have raised questions about its culture and practices, including allegations of sexual abuse and fraud.

After the suspension of an unnamed BBC presenter amid claims he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs, the PA news agency looks at the scandals associated with the corporation over the years:

– Jimmy Savile

The disgraced entertainer was one of the biggest stars in television, working for much of his career at the BBC on programmes like Top Of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It.

In October 2012, a year after his death aged 84, an ITV documentary called The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile broke the story of the sexual abuse scandal.

The full extent of Savile’s crimes was revealed in Operation Yewtree’s report in 2013, which recorded 214 criminal offences committed by the star.

A 2016 report into his abuse found staff at the BBC missed numerous opportunities to stop Savile, who is believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

– Martin Bashir

A 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, conducted by then-BBC journalist Bashir made global headlines as she spoke openly about her marriage to the King, who was then the prince of Wales.

She famously told Bashir: “There were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded.”

In 2021, a report by Lord Dyson concluded that the BBC covered up “deceitful behaviour” by Bashir to secure the bombshell interview and led to a call from the then-duke of Cambridge for it to never be aired again.

Bashir was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, to gain access to Diana in 1995, the report said.

The BBC wrote to the royal family to apologise for the circumstances surrounding the Panorama interview and director-general Tim Davie said the BBC will “never show the programme again nor will we license it in whole or part to other broadcasters”.

– Rolf Harris

The former beloved entertainer, who died this year aged 93, experienced a fall from grace after he was jailed for his crimes.

Harris was 84 when a jury unanimously found him guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault involving victims as young as seven or eight in July 2014 and he was sentenced to five years and nine months.

A former favourite of the royal family – the late queen once posed for him to paint her portrait – he charmed millions for more than half a century with his wobble-board invention and didgeridoo, TV series involving sick animals and ability to paint a full canvas in an astonishingly short time.

From 1994 to 2004 he hosted the award-winning BBC programme Animal Hospital, chronicling the real-life activity of a British veterinary practice.

Later he presented the BBC’s Rolf On Art, highlighting the work of some of his favourite artists, and made history by gaining the highest TV ratings for an arts programme.

– Sir Cliff Richard

In August 2014, the veteran entertainer’s Berkshire home was searched by police following a claim of historical sexual assault.

The 82-year-old denied the allegations, he was never arrested and in June 2016 prosecutors said he would face no charges.

Sir Cliff later successfully sued the BBC for its coverage, which was broadcast around the world, of the South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale.

The singer received around £2 million towards his legal costs from the BBC and was awarded £210,000 in damages in 2018.

Judge Mr Justice Mann ruled in Sir Cliff’s favour following a High Court trial in London, concluding the BBC’s coverage was a “very serious” invasion of the singer’s privacy.

After Sir Cliff’s case, there was a big change to the way the media approached reporting, meaning it is more difficult for the media to name people before they are charged with a criminal offence.

– Tim Westwood

The veteran hip hop DJ and radio presenter, who left BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years, was accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by several women in April last year.

Westwood was interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police in March and April this year in relation to five sexual offences alleged to have taken place between 1982 and 2016.

An independent inquiry, led by barrister Gemma White KC, launched a 24-hour hotline in April as part of the BBC inquiry into what the corporation knew about allegations of sexual misconduct against Westwood.

Ms White was appointed by the BBC Board last August after an internal review found that the corporation should have further explored a string of sexual assault allegations against the former hip hop DJ.

Westwood strongly denies the allegations.

– Chris Denning

In 2016, the disgraced BBC Radio 1 DJ pleaded guilty to 21 historical child sex offences as part of a police investigation into the Walton Hop Disco in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.

The prolific paedophile admitted abusing 11 children, some as young as eight, between 1969 and 1986 before being sentenced to 13 years in prison.

It came while he was already serving a 13-year jail sentence for a catalogue of sexual assaults against 24 victims, including one allegedly at Savile’s house, from the 1960s to 1980s.

Denning was one of the founding presenters of the BBC’s flagship radio station.