The BBC said it was contacting police following allegations that one of its hosts paid a teenage boy £35,000 to take sexually explicit photos.
The corporation said it was working quickly to clarify the facts and suspended the speaker, whose name has not been made public.
Neither the Sun nor the BBC have released the names of the men involved.
In a statement, the BBC said it was working as soon as possible to “establish the facts to properly inform appropriate next steps”.
“The BBC first became aware of the complaints in May,” the paper said. “On Thursday, a new allegation of a different nature came to us, and in addition to our own investigation, we have also contacted external authorities according to our procedures.”
The statement added that the company expects to be in a position to provide further updates on the process in the coming days.
In an email to staff, BBC Executive Director Tim Davey said the allegations were being taken “incredibly seriously”.
He said the situation was “complex” and that the company was working quickly to ascertain the facts and “ensure these matters were handled fairly and prudently.”
Mr Davey also condemned “unsubstantiated rumors” being spread online about some presenters working for the BBC.
This was announced after Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser held an emergency meeting with Mr Davey on Sunday.
“Given the nature of the allegations, it is important to give the BBC room to conduct an investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action,” Fraser said on Twitter, adding that he would stay updated from the BBC. rice field.
In The Sun on Sunday, the mother of the young man, who the paper claims was 17 when payments from the host began, said the child had used the money to fund a crack cocaine addiction. .
She said the now 20-year-old would “end up dead” if the payments continued. A total of £35,000 was reportedly paid.
She also claimed that an image of the host in her underwear was published in the Sun newspaper. reported on Saturdaywas filmed as part of a video call with a child.
Reportedly telling the BBC of their concerns on 19 May, the family said they were frustrated that the host remained on the air and decided to move closer to the Sun.
The paper said they clarified that they were not seeking payment for the article.
Following the First Sun report, some BBC hosts including Rylan Clarke, Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell and Gary Lineker denied being the stars in question on social media.
Mr. Campbell of Radio 5 Live, tweeted He said he had reported an anonymous Twitter account to the police over a post claiming he was the presenter.
Concerns have been raised about the BBC’s complaints process, primarily questioning anonymous moderators and what steps were taken to investigate further.
Rachel Reeves: BBC ‘I have to keep my house organized’
Earlier on Sunday, many politicians said the BBC, which said it took any allegations “very seriously”, had questions to answer.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has instructed companies to “get things in order” and Conservative Minister Victoria Atkins has called for swift action.
Reeves told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuensberg program that if the reports were true and the host stayed on the air for weeks after the charges were filed, “it’s not enough”.
“The BBC needs to speed up the process,” he said, adding that he told the BBC “more clarity about what’s going on in this case and what we’re doing to make things right.” asked.
How does BBC News cover stories about the BBC?
For such stories, BBC News journalists treat the BBC like any other organization they cover.
Also, like any other organization, BBC News should seek a response from BBC Management or the BBC Service and should contact the BBC Press Office for official statements.
Occasionally, BBC journalists approach senior management for unscheduled interviews. This is known in the press industry as the “gateway”.
Others are offered meetings with management, such as an interview with Davey over the Gary Lineker scandal.
And when this happens, they know they will be under scrutiny both inside and outside the BBC for how far they hold their bosses accountable.
Conservative Party Minister Victoria Atkins said the allegations were “very serious” and said the BBC had to act “quickly” while following procedures “in place”.
She said Sunday with Laura Kuensberg that at the center of the issue are “young people who will have all sorts of emotions” and that they should not be asked to speak or report on the issue. urged people to consider
Also on the show, broadcast industry veteran and former ITN head Stewart Purvis said the narrative could undermine the BBC’s reputation as “the broadcaster of the people’s trust”.
Asked what he would do if he worked for the company, Purvis said bosses should recruit people who “know what they’re doing.”
“We need people, we need lawyers, we need communicators, we need supervisors of people being monitored,” he said.
“We have to remember that every email we send to each other is subject to review and will eventually be published, so the pressure on the BBC leadership is enormous.”
