Scott Mills' sacking left Radio 2 'in shock and grief' says Jeremy Vine - as he defends 'well-liked' presenter but criticises 'malevolent bully' Huw Edwards
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Scott Mills' sacking over historical allegations of series sexual offences left Radio 2 'in shock and grief', his former colleague Jeremy Vine has revealed.
The veteran broadcaster, who was just about to go on air when the news broke, said he had assumed it was an 'AI spoof' or that there was a 'virus in his laptop'.
He described Mills, 53, as a 'very popular bloke', adding that very little reasoning was given by BBC management for his sacking at the time.
Vine said in contrast former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to making indecent images of children, was a 'bully'.
He also described Edwards as a very private and unknowable quantity, who 'didn’t really have a good word to say about anyone'.
Speaking about the day the news of Mills' sacking broke last month, Vine said he sent him a text saying: 'I hold you in the highest regard and I wish you all the best.'
He claimed, however, that this was before the Metropolitan Police had disclosed that Mills' alleged victim was aged between 13 and 16.
Scott Mills was seen for the first time since he was sacked from the BBC over historic sexual abuse allegations this week
Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine said colleagues were left in 'grief and shock' following Mills' departure
The alleged offences are said to have happened between 1997 and 2000, when Mills was in his mid-20s.
Mills was questioned by police under caution in 2018 but the case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service the following year due to a lack of evidence.
The whole episode has been 'draining and upsetting' for everyone at Radio 2, Vine told The Telegraph.
He said: 'I'm not drawing comparisons with Huw Edwards, but Huw was not a popular person. Scott was very well-liked.'
'With Huw, his great skill was to bully upwards. He's the only person I've ever seen who didn't bully underlings, he bullied his bosses,' Vine added.
The broadcaster previously revealed that he only found out Mills had been sacked when he read it on the BBC website 17 minutes before he went on air.
Addressing the issue on his 12pm radio show he said: 'Obviously, I was taken aback by that opening story to the news.
'I had not heard anything about it until 17 minutes ago, when it was on the BBC website, and I only had the information that was given to you in the bulletin.
'I have nothing more, that it was allegations about Scott Mills' personal conduct, which have led to him being sacked.
'I have no more than that. All right, on to today's show.'
Earlier this week, Mills was pictured for the first time since he was let go by the BBC.
He was seen hiding behind sunglasses and a baseball cap as he walked around his neighbourhood with his husband of two years.
Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court where he was sentenced for making indecent images of children
Insiders have previously spoken about the shock that rang through the BBC when it emerged Mills was out of his £355,000-a-year job.
BBC News correspondent Sima Kotecha revealed that 'gasps filled the newsroom' at the news.
She said: 'This is mega news. We heard gasps in the newsroom when people realised that he had been sacked.
'We don't know why he's been sacked but we do know that it will surely be unwelcome news.
'The fact that the bosses had to do this means there must be something potentially very significant here to let one of their big names go. As I said, this is a huge name in the BBC.'
Mills took over the Radio 2 breakfast show from Zoe Ball in 2025.
He married his long-term partner Sam Vaughan at a celebrity-studded wedding in Barcelona in 2024, the year they won Celebrity Race Across The World together.
Previously, Scott had a three-year relationship with marketing manager Brad Harris, which ended in 2016.
The DJ, from Southampton, began his BBC career on Radio 1 in the late 1990s as the early breakfast host, before going on to present weekend slots and then an early evening show while providing maternity cover for Sara Cox.
When Cox did not return, the programme was renamed The Scott Mills Show.
In 2022, he joined Radio 2, replacing Steve Wright in his weekday afternoon slot.
He has presented a number of shows on the station before taking up the Breakfast Show after Ball's departure.
He has also presented a weekend show on Radio 5 Live and appeared on series 12 of Strictly Come Dancing, where he was paired with professional dancer Joanne Clifton, becoming the fifth couple to be eliminated.
Mills has also been a commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest on the BBC.
