Amidst accusations that a prominent BBC presenter paid a teenage girl thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos, public pressure is growing for the broadcaster to quickly investigate the allegations.

The accusations first surfaced in a Sunday report in The Sun newspaper, where it was alleged that the male presenter had given an unidentified 17-year-old youth 35,000 pounds in 2020 for the photos. The age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, but it is a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.

BBC celebrities,including Gary Lineker & Nicky Campbell, all queuing up to distances themselves from the "paying for nude photo's scandal "of teenage boy.

— John 🇬🇧 (@Carson1912_) July 9, 2023

The teenager's family reportedly complained to the BBC on May 19, but the presenter was not immediately taken off the air. It was reported that the family had not requested payment for their story, but rather, wanted the man to stop sending money to their relative, who was allegedly using the funds for a crack cocaine addiction.

In response, the BBC stated that they “treat any allegations very seriously and [have] processes in place to proactively deal with them”. They also confirmed that a male member of staff had been suspended, and had been in touch with “external authorities”.

This whole BBC presenter sex scandal being exposed so righteously by The Sun, a paper which used to print full page photos of teenage girls topless and do countdowns to girls’ 16th birthdays… 👀

— Emily Kenway (@emilykenway) July 9, 2023

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held talks with the BBC’s Director-General Tim Davie about the allegations, which she described as “deeply concerning”. Rachel Reeves, economy spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, echoed the sentiment, stating the BBC needed to “speed up their processes” and “get their house in order”.

The BBC faces heavy scrutiny, as it is funded by taxpayers and is committed to remaining impartial in its news coverage. The broadcaster has come under fire in the past, most notably when football player Gary Lineker criticised the government’s immigration policy on social media.

Though the BBC has yet to release any further updates, it is clear that pressure is mounting for the broadcaster to swiftly investigate the allegations and take appropriate action.