A BBC presenter has been taken off air following allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos. 

The unnamed “household name” allegedly paid £35,000 (€40,944) over three years for explicit photos of the teenager, including one £5,000 lump sum.

The Sun reported the presenter began requesting images in 2020, when the teenager in question was 17 years old. 

It said the BBC launched an inquiry into the allegations and took the presenter off the air after the teenager’s family made a complaint. 

A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster is treating the allegations “very seriously” and it intends to “proactively deal with them”. 

“If we receive information that requires further investigation or examination, we will take steps to do this,” the spokesperson said. 

EMDB97 The BBC Hull city centre office in the Queens Court building

"That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation. 

Sky’s Ivor Bennett said the BBC may have attempted to begin investigations already. 

“It’s not clear from the long statement how they have investigated exactly,” he said. “But it appears to have hinted to the fact that efforts have been hampered by a lack of engagement from the family.” 

The BBC spokesperson said if any new information comes to light - "including via newspapers" - it would be "acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes".