Scott Mills sacked by BBC due to alleged conduct
The BBC have sacked Scott Mills following complaints regarding his alleged personal conduct.
The radio presenter, who began working at the BBC in 1998, has been presenting the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 since 2025.
In a statement, the BBC said: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC”.
Lorna Clarke, director of music at the BBC, informed staff at the broadcasting corporation of Mills’ firing in an email.
She wrote, “I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC. I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock.”
The email continued, “Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV. I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.”
In 1998, Mills started off as the host of the Early Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1, between 4am to 7am, before working his way up into the daytime schedule, taking over as drive-time host in 2004.
In 2012, Mills moved into the early afternoon slot, and remained on BBC Radio 1 until 2022, when he moved to BBC Radio 2 to takeover from Steve Wright as the early afternoon host on the big brother station.
Following Zoe Ball’s departure from The Breakfast Show in 2025, he was promoted once more and became the host of the flagship programme.
His last show took place on March 24th, with the broadcaster investigating the claims of misconduct before terminating his contract at the weekend.
Broadcast veteran Gary Davies has been sitting-in for Mills since he was taken off the air, and a permanent successor has yet to be revealed. Possible contenders could include Vernon Kay or Sara Cox, both of whom already have daytime shows on the station, or perhaps BBC Radio 1’s Greg James.
Mills was one of the highest earners at the BBC, earning over £355,000 per year, according to the last report published by the broadcaster. This made him the 11th best-paid employee across the company.
In addition to his work on BBC Radio 2, Mills is one of the most prominent faces across the entirety of BBC coverage. In the past, he’s competed on Strictly Come Dancing, won Celebrity Race Across The World and also played a key role in its coverage of Eurovision.
Mills was also set to host a new podcast for the BBC to accompany the new series of Race Across The World, to coincide with the new series launching on April 2nd. It has not been confirmed whether this will still be released.
During an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year, Mills spoke about his nerves about taking over as host of the Breakfast Show, admitting, “I’ll be honest with you, for the first few months, I was really nervous. The gravity of what I was doing very much landed with me. Even though I’d done Radio 1 for like, a quarter of a century, Radio 2 feels different. It’s bigger. But I’m having the time of my life. No two mornings are the same.”
He also responded to backlash from disgruntled listeners, stating, “I knew that there would be scrutiny. Some of it can be nasty, and I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t affect me. I haven’t shut it out, but I’ve managed to make it background noise. But this is a long game. The first year is always going to be a bumpy ride. I do think some of the criticism was a little bit harsh, but it’s going to be, because the spotlight is way bigger.”
Mills is yet to comment on the firing.
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