The United Kingdom has been hit by a nuclear-level drama bomb over the weekend. An extremely high-profile BBC TV personality has been accused of paying a teenager more than £35,000 (around $45,000) for sexually explicit photographs. Said money was then used by the teenager to fund a crack addiction that their mother has said “destroyed” the child’s life.
It’s alleged this began when the victim was 17, meaning that the BBC star could be charged with commissioning images of child sexual abuse. Their mother says the star demanded “performances” from the child, asking that they “get their bits out.” As she said to The Sun:
“I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life. Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”
Under any circumstances, this would be a bombshell story, though the real drama is that it hasn’t been officially confirmed who’s been accused. As you’d expect, social media has promptly gone bananas, and practically every major male BBC celebrity has found themselves in the firing line.
The effect is turning the BBC into a giant game of Clue. We know that the celebrity in question has been suspended and won’t be appearing on the BBC anytime soon, so as the many accused begin their shows, the public has begun to rule them out.
Beyond that, Britain’s extraordinarily strong libel laws mean that anyone who pops their head above the parapet to accuse a specific celebrity runs the risk of enormous legal fees and punishments. Some of those accused — like current affairs star Jeremy Vine — have already threatened legal action after being named as the suspect.
Others, like soccer star Gary Lineker and presenter Nicky Campbell, have outright said they’re not the person in question, though nobody involved seems at all happy that the broadcaster won’t squash these rumors by confirming who they’re investigating.
All that said, a quick glance over social media indicates that many believe they’ve got their man. We won’t name that person here, though they’ve not appeared on the BBC for some time, and… well, there’s a rather unfortunate image of them “posing” doing the rounds on social media. Admittedly, this could all be a coincidence, but the evidence is stacking up.
This story isn’t going away anytime soon, and the BBC’s firm refusal to confirm who the celebrity in question is only pours a constant stream of gasoline into the tabloid fire.
Expect more developments very soon.