BBC Removes Scott Mills' Top of the Pops episodes after firing
BBC Removes Scott Mills' Top of the Pops episodes after firing
BBC revamps its archives after firing Scott Mills over personal conduct allegations, scrubbing TOTP episodes and related content.
Scott Mills was fired by the BBC in March over allegations about his personal conduct, and the broadcaster has begun removing parts of his archive from the schedule. The Metropolitan Police had investigated claims dating back to 2016, involving a teenage boy under 16, and the Crown Prosecution Service said the evidential threshold had not been met. Despite that finding, the BBC terminated Mills' contract following new information received in the weeks before his sacking.
Three August 1999 Top of the Pops episodes hosted by Mills (aired on the 6th, 13th and 20th of August) have not been scheduled for repeats on BBC Four. Episodes from May, June and July of that year remain available to stream on BBC iPlayer, but the August instalments are currently omitted from streaming options. The next airing is the 26 August episode fronted by Gail Porter.
In addition to the TOTP repeats, Mills-related content has been removed from digital platforms: the presenter’s 'Top Picks' page has disappeared from iPlayer, and his short Mercedes-Benz podcast series 'Under the Bonnet: On the Road' has been removed from Spotify.
A Fleet Services plaque honouring Mills was taken down following the scandal, a marker that had stood since 2016 after a campaign by his former co-host. Reports also note Mills may lose an honorary designation connected to his public profile. Separately, Mills has stepped back from his ambassador role with the MS Society UK amid the BBC sacking.
The BBC has not publicly commented on every facet of the ongoing archival revisions, but the corporation continues to adjust its public-facing material in response to the controversy.
