Scott Mills’ Radio 2 stand-in Gary Davies ‘plays back to back records’ and doesn’t mention sacked colleague during awkward Breakfast Show as it emerges DJ was fired in ‘tense’ meeting with BBC bosses within five days of complaint

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On Tuesday morning, Gary Davies hosted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show without acknowledging the recent dismissal of his co-worker, Scott Mills.

The BBC faced a new controversy yesterday when Mills, a popular radio personality, was unexpectedly fired.

The host of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show was taken off the air last Tuesday and subsequently lost his job after a difficult meeting with BBC executives regarding his behavior.

Claims against 53-year-old Mills reportedly stem from his time at Radio 1, around ten years ago, and concern a past relationship.

Following Mills’ departure last week, veteran DJ Davies, 68, is currently hosting the show. He’s expected to continue for at least another week while the station searches for a full-time replacement.

Davies launched his show on Tuesday morning with a catchy jingle, immediately asking listeners what they’d already achieved that morning, then played a series of songs.

The 7am news report didn’t mention Mills at all, but the next update at 7:30am featured a lead story about a police investigation into serious sexual offences allegedly committed by Mills against a teenage boy in 2026.

Davies shared a message from a listener who enjoyed his time hosting the Breakfast Show. The fan wrote: ‘I loved Top of the Pops in the eighties, and now you’re starting my day – it doesn’t get much better than that!’

The DJ spent the first half-hour of his show repeatedly promoting Radio 2’s Eurovision broadcast, which felt strange considering he’s a regular commentator for the BBC’s Eurovision coverage.

People were confused by the BBC’s silence about Mills leaving, and one listener commented on X (formerly Twitter) that Radio 2 seemed to be avoiding the topic, comparing it to the famous ‘Don’t mention the war!’ scene from Fawlty Towers. They noted the news bulletins strangely didn’t cover it.

‘Gary Davies desperately playing records non-stop. No discussion between any presenters.’ 

Radio 2 host Davies has filled in for other DJs during holidays and recently took over ‘Pick Of The Pops’ after Steve Wright sadly passed away in 2024.

The sudden exit of popular Radio 2 host Mills, who earned as much as £360,000 annually, has created significant disruption, according to sources at the Daily Mail. Colleagues are reportedly shocked, and station managers are urgently searching for someone to fill her role.

Someone familiar with the situation said Mills was asked to a meeting last Tuesday following a complaint.

According to a source at The Sun, he was immediately removed from his Radio 2 show after the complaint, and his employment was ended over the weekend. The entire process, from the complaint to his departure, took less than five days.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Scott Mills was informed about the accusation during a meeting with his leadership team. The source described him as appearing visibly stressed.

Honestly, it’s really concerning. A friend of mine has completely disappeared – total radio silence. We’re all trying to reach him, but it’s like he’s vanished. No texts, no calls, absolutely nothing. It’s completely out of character, and everyone who knows him is shocked and worried.

The Daily Mirror reported last night that the firing of Mills followed a 2016 police investigation into allegations of serious sexual offenses against a teenager.

Authorities questioned the DJ, but the investigation was closed because they couldn’t find enough proof. The newspaper reported that his dismissal from his job was connected to the same person involved in the initial questioning.

Mills is the newest BBC personality to leave their position following a series of departures. He joins others who have left the company in recent years, including news presenter Huw Edwards and the MasterChef hosts, Gregg Wallace and John Torode, all amid ongoing controversy.

The abrupt dismissal, revealed in a brief announcement yesterday, appears to have been one of outgoing director-general Tim Davie’s final actions. He reportedly aimed to simplify things before stepping down on Thursday.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Mr. Davie – who stepped down after it was revealed that a Panorama episode contained manipulated footage of a speech by former US President Donald Trump – was hoping for a final attempt to resolve the issue.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, the current interim leader, and Matt Brittin, who will take over permanently, are facing a difficult situation. They need to quickly find someone to replace Mills, or they risk losing audience members.

The most popular breakfast radio show in the UK now reaches 6.5 million listeners each week, a number that increased after Greg James took over from Zoe Ball.

Mills’s team are said to be taking legal advice in the wake of his sacking.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated that an investigation began in December 2016 after receiving a referral from another police force. The investigation concerns allegations of serious sexual offenses against a young boy, reportedly occurring between 1997 and 2000.

Police interviewed a man in his 40s under caution in July 2018 as part of their investigation.

Investigators sent a complete collection of evidence to prosecutors, but they decided there wasn’t enough proof to file charges. Based on this advice, the investigation ended in May 2019.

A representative for Mills declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail.

Lorna Clarke, the BBC’s director of music, informed staff in a message yesterday that Scott Mills has left both the Breakfast Show and the BBC. She acknowledged that this news was likely sudden and surprising.

Many of us have had the pleasure of working with Scott for years, on various programs across Radio 1, Radio 5 Live, Radio 2, and television. I wanted to let you know about his departure as soon as possible.

She admitted the news would likely surprise viewers and regular listeners of the breakfast show, and said she’d share more details about the show’s future as soon as she could.

She acknowledged that people likely had questions, but explained she wouldn’t be making any further comments at this time.

The BBC confirmed that Scott Mills is no longer working for them, but stated they don’t typically discuss individual employment matters.

Mills hosted his last show last Tuesday, after appearing on BBC’s Comic Relief the previous Friday. He ended the show by saying, ‘See you tomorrow.’ Sadly, he lost his job just six days later.

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2026-03-31 10:34