Questions for the BBC after presenter suspended

The BBC has suspended the presenter at the centre of allegations of serious misconduct.

We understand the corporation has also now contacted the police.

For an organisation that says it aims for transparency, this statement felt inevitable after a weekend when the corporation was on the front pages of many newspapers.

But there are still many questions that need to be answered.

What exactly did the BBC do on 19 May after the complaint was made? What was the nature of that complaint? Was it clear at that point that potential criminality was involved?

Did they interview the presenter? Did they consider contacting the police at the time? Did they consider suspending the presenter then?

The BBC has confirmed it has now spoken to the family of the individual involved, but how many attempts were made to contact the family after their original complaint?

Did the BBC consider taking the presenter off air at the time, while they were looking into the allegations?

The BBC has said its internal processes “proactively deal with such allegations” and it is important to state that we don’t know the full facts. The presenter may be innocent.

These are claims made in a newspaper. We don’t know if they are true.

The director general Tim Davie, in an email to BBC staff, addressed the questions around why the presenter has not been named. He also hasn’t been named by the Sun newspaper.

“By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex,” Mr Davie writes.

The BBC has also referred to “new allegations” only put to them on Thursday which it says are “of a different nature”. That was presumably when they were contacted by the Sun newspaper.

There are questions to answer here too; did the complaint made in May reference possible criminality or did the information about sexually explicit photographs allegedly solicited from a 17-year-old only emerge on Thursday?

This afternoon’s statement announcing the suspension and contact with “external authorities, in line with our protocols” comes after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held talks with Mr Davie.

From Ms Frazer’s comments after the conversation, it looks as if she has been reassured about the corporation’s investigation process. She said she wants to give the BBC space to conduct its enquiries.

Space, but presumably not much time. It has already been nearly two months since the original complaint.

The BBC today referred to the matter as a “complex and fast moving set of circumstances”. It said it expects to have a further update in the coming days.

They do need to move fast. Speculation is rife and growing. Other BBC presenters have felt forced to deny their involvement.

In his email to staff, Mr Davie said “I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent”.

Reputationally, this has already been damaging for the BBC, which has been accused of looking evasive and being slow to act.

Despite today’s statement, the director general is still under pressure as he tries to steer the BBC through this crisis.

On Tuesday – in a coincidence of timing he could probably do without – Mr Davie will launch the BBC’s annual report and face the media. It’s likely one story will dominate the coverage.