BBC star 'sent colleagues sexually explicit photographs of Stephen Bear'
One of the BBC's highest paid presenters, Stephen Nolan, reportedly ‘threatened colleagues with sexually explicit pictures of Stephen Bear'.
A highly paid BBC presenter is currently embroiled in a scandal after being accused of sending explicit images of a reality star to colleagues.
Stephen Nolan, the host of Radio 5 Live, continued his on-air duties despite a series of claims published by the Irish Times.
Both the BBC executives and Nolan, who earns a substantial annual salary of £400,000, chose not to address these allegations when questioned. According to reports from The Irish News, the 49-year-old presenter purportedly forwarded nude images of former Celebrity Big Brother participant Stephen Bear to other employees of the broadcasting corporation.
He is said to have wanted the 33-year-old booked as a guest on his Northern Irish television show Nolan Live in 2016.
Bear, who was jailed for 21 months earlier this year for revenge porn offences against then-girlfriend Georgia Harrison, went on to appear in the show.
In a light-hearted parody of a modelling shoot, both Bear and Nolan, who stands as the BBC's fifth highest-paid personality, humorously posed in their underwear. The Irish News asserted that the BBC conducted an inquiry into the explicit images in 2018 following a formal complaint from a staff member.
Additionally, the publication alleged that Nolan was accused by one of his colleagues of bullying behaviour and the sharing of "abusive remarks" concerning another BBC employee.
Gregory Campbell, a DUP MP, told the paper the claims raised "significant questions for the corporation and Mr Nolan".
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He added: "There are significant multi-layered issues that have been highlighted and all of which deserve a full response from the BBC."
But Adam Smyth, director of BBC Northern Ireland, said he "cannot comment on the specifics of any individual case”.
He added: “There are important considerations of fairness and confidentiality involved in the handling of any workplace-related complaint.
"We take these obligations seriously - and in the interests of everyone involved.”