BBC presenter row: Jeremy Vine says unnamed BBC presenter could be sacked

The presenter at the centre of claims about his private life could be sacked now that fresh allegations have been made, Jeremy Vine has said.

But Vine - unconnected to the claims - said even if the presenter was sacked he would still not be named by the BBC and urged him to name himself.

The BBC and the Sun published new claims following the original allegation that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos.

The BBC has suspended the presenter.

Appearing on his programme on Channel Five on Wednesday, Vine, who also hosts a programme on BBC Radio 2, said allegations had reached a "dangerous point" for the presenter.

"Look at the damage to the BBC, look at the damage to his friends," Vine said.

He added: "The idea that he could just remain anonymous forever, and then walk back into the building with his ID pass? Oh no, that's not going to happen."

The initial allegations, first reported by the Sun on Friday, were that the presenter paid a young person for explicit photos, beginning when they were 17.

The paper quoted a mother as saying her child, now 20, had used the money paid for explicit photos to fund a crack cocaine habit, and she was worried they could "wind up dead".

A lawyer for the young person has since said the accusations were "rubbish" but the family are standing by the account.

The Sun declined a request from BBC News for an interview with a representative, and did not answer a series of questions about the story, including what evidence it had seen for the claims.

The presenter is not being named because of concerns about defamation and breaching his privacy.

• Key questions remain in row about BBC presenter

• Timeline: The BBC presenter allegations story

On Tuesday, the BBC published an investigation in which an individual in their 20s said they said were sent abusive and menacing messages by the presenter.

The Sun then published another story claiming the presenter broke Covid lockdown rules in February 2021 to meet a 23-year-old he had met on a dating site, and sent what they described as "quite pressurising" messages.

It said it had seen messages suggesting that as well as visiting the 23-year-old's home, he sent money and asked for a photo. He was sent a semi-naked photograph.

The Sun has also published what it says is an Instagram chat between the presenter and a 17-year-old, where the presenter sent messages including love heart emojis.

The BBC has not been able to verify these messages.

Vine is one of several high-profile stars at the corporation who say they have been falsely accused of being the presenter at the centre of the claims by people on social media.

He told viewers the presenter's name not being public could risk the safety of other presenters.

He spoke of his wife worrying about him going to a Bruce Springsteen concert at the weekend. "She gave me a baseball cap, and said 'you'd better wear this," he said.

Vine said on the programme that he knows the presenter concerned but had not spoken to him.

"I am very worried about his state of mind," he said. "And what this is doing to him. I haven't spoken to him but I gather from somebody who has that he is described as angry and keen to play long."

Vine said that it was possible that the presenter was in "some sort of terrible crisis where they've been unable to judge what's right and what's wrong anymore" - but the longer he remained anonymous, the worse it would be for him.

"I think this is very very dangerous point for the presenter," he said.

"You could almost say anything about the person... if this [story] isn't closed off."

Vine cited the case of Carl Beech - a notorious fantasist behind false allegations of a VIP paedophile abuse ring in the heart of government who was subsequently jailed.

"We will have a Carl Beech figure arrive without a doubt, and you will have some extraordinary, untrue allegation which won't be answered."

He added the recent additional allegations made him think BBC director general Tim Davie "could sack him".

Speaking to a reporter following his show, Vine said: "I never, ever want to go through this again. We are all waiting. We are all just waiting to play itself out."

Following a virtual meeting between corporation executives and detectives on Monday the BBC was asked to suspend its internal investigation into the matter.

The Met Police said it was reviewing the claims "to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed".

If the presenter obtained sexually explicit images of a young person when the young person was under 18, that could be investigated as a possible criminal offence.

A police force has confirmed it was contacted by the family in April and that "no criminality was identified".