Scott Mills sacking leaves BBC staff stunned as Radio 2 DJ axed over 'personal conduct'

BBC Radio 2 star Scott Mills has been sacked over his “personal conduct” leaving colleagues shocked.

The 53-year-old presenter was abruptly taken off air following his Radio 2 show last Tuesday while bosses assessed the reported claim.

The broadcaster, who took over the Breakfast Show from Zoe Ball last year, was told his contract was terminated at the weekend, sources claimed.

The BBC said: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”
The broadcaster said the DJ had been dismissed following allegations relating to his personal conduct, though no further details were provided.

The reason for his abrupt axing was due to a “historic male relationship” more than 10 years ago, according to The Mirror .

In a message circulated to staff, seen by the outlet, it was noted that “this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock”.

According to the publication, Lorna Clarke, Director of Music, said in a statement to staff: “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.

The news reportedly cames as a huge shock to colleagues, with a BBC reporter saying there were “gasps filled the newsroom” when staff found out he had lost his job.

“This is mega news.

We heard gasps in the newsroom when people realised that he had been sacked,” she said.

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“We don't know why he's been sacked but we do know that it will surely be unwelcome news.

“The fact that the bosses had to do this means there must be something potentially very significant here to let one of their big names go.

As I said, this is a huge name in the BBC.”
His abrupt departure comes just weeks after he was announced as a host for Race Across The World spin-off The Detour.

Mills is said to have been completely “blindsided” by the arrival of the claims, signing off from his last show with: “See you tomorrow”.

Mills joined Radio 1 in 1998, initially presenting the early breakfast show between 4am and 7am.

In July 2005, he moved to an early evening weekday slot while covering for Sara Cox during her maternity leave.

When she chose not to return, the programme became The Scott Mills Show, airing from 1pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

It was confirmed in July 2022 that he would move to Radio 2, where his new afternoon show launched on 31 October, running from 2pm to 4pm.

The programme replaced Steve Wright in the Afternoon.

Mills then stepped into the flagship breakfast slot, taking over from Ball last year.

After taking over the show, Mills’s BBC salary jumped from £315,000 to a reported £355,00 0 .

Beyond radio, he has made a number of television appearances.

Between 2006 and 2007, he appeared in the medical drama Casualty as reporter Paul Lang.

He has also featured as a contestant on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Supermarket Sweep, Mastermind and Most Haunted.

Mills has also presented a weekend show on Radio 5 Live and appeared on series 12 of Strictly Come Dancing , where he was paired with professional dancer Joanne Clifton, becoming the fifth couple to be eliminated.

More recently, Mills competed in the celebrity edition of Race Across The World alongside his husband Sam Vaughan.

The pair went on to win, travelling more than 12,500 kilometres across South America from Belém in Brazil to Frutillar in Chile.

Mills had previously spoken of past struggles during his BBC career.

The Standard has contacted Scott Mill’s rep for comment.