Overview
- Vine said he first thought headlines about Mills’ dismissal were an AI spoof or a computer virus before learning the news was real.
- BBC staff reacted with audible gasps, according to correspondent Sima Kotecha, reflecting the scale of the shake-up at a flagship show.
- Reports say the alleged offences date to 1997–2000, police interviewed Mills under caution in 2018, and prosecutors declined charges in 2019 for lack of evidence.
- The BBC had been aware of an earlier investigation, yet it ended Mills’ contract only after a recent complaint, prompting questions about timing and oversight.
- Mills has since been photographed in public with his husband, and Vine contrasted him with Huw Edwards, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to making indecent images of children.