Scott Mills was questioned over allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy in 2018 but the case was later closed due to lack of evidence, it has emerged after he was sacked with immediate effect for his personal conduct.

Mills, who hosted Britain’s most popular radio breakfast show on BBC Radio 2, was taken off the air last week and on Monday the BBC announced his contract had been terminated with immediate effect.

Mills was sacked due to allegations related to “personal conduct”, while the Mirror newspaper, which broke the story, reported the allegations concerned a “historic relationship”.

Late on Monday, the Mirror reported that the sacking related to a police investigation in 2016 into serious sexual offences against a teenage boy that was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force. The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy.

“These were reported to have taken place between 1997 and 2000. As part of these enquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.

“A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019.”

The BBC and representatives of Scott Mills have been approached for comment about the latest reports.

After the sacking was announced, the broadcaster said in a statement: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”

Mills, 53, took over the Radio 2 breakfast show from Zoe Ball in January 2025. Under his stewardship, the show’s audience increased to 6.5 million listeners, making it the UK’s most popular breakfast show.

He had joined the station’s weekday schedule in 2022 when he replaced Steve Wright as the host of the afternoon slot, having previously worked on Radio 1 and hosted a weekend show on Radio 5 Live.

His dismissal is the latest crisis to hit the BBC over the alleged behaviour of one of its leading figures. The broadcaster has repeatedly said it is trying to create a culture where no one is unaccountable, after allegations against prominent presenters such as Huw Edwards and Tim Westwood.

The departure took place in Tim Davie’s last week as the BBC’s director general. He announced his resignation at the end of last year after he was worn down by a series of crises including over the conduct of some BBC presenters.