The BBC Radio 5 Live sports presenter George Riley has been suspended by the broadcaster following complaints of sexual harassment.
Riley was due to cover the Rugby League World Cup for 5 Live, but was absent from the opening match between Australia and England on Friday and Saturday’s match between Wales and Papua New Guinea.
Riley did not respond to a request for comment, but he is understood to have been informed of his suspension on Friday morning. He presents the sports news on 5 Live’s breakfast show with Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden. He was due to appear on Friday’s programme to discuss rugby league, and Campbell and Burden previewed his appearance during the show, but he never appeared.
Riley joined 5 Live, which is based in Salford, in 2004. He has also presented sports events on television for the BBC and fronted Channel 5’s Football on 5, which shows Football League highlights , between 2015 and 2017.
It is understood the BBC has received eight complaints about Riley and that they are being handled by the broadcaster’s internal corporate security and investigations team. The team is led by Carol Ann Kinley-Smith, a former Metropolitan police detective, and is currently handling various allegations of sexual harassment.
The BBC is expected to make a decision about Riley’s future following the inquiry.
The BBC’s latest annual report, which was published in July, reveals it opened 41 formal cases over bullying and harassment complaints in the previous 12 months. They included three sexual harassment cases, up from one in 2015-16. Eight of the 41 cases were ongoing.
The BBC has encouraged staff to come forward with complaints since the Harvey Weinstein scandal began. Weinstein faces numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
The BBC’s deputy director general, Anne Bulford, wrote to all staff this week: “There’s been a lot of press coverage and comment recently about bullying and harassment in the entertainment industry, and more broadly. Tony Hall [the director general] and I have written to you a number of times on this.
“We have a duty of care to protect you – one we take extremely seriously. I just want to remind you what to do if you want to raise any concerns. Please be assured that we will continue to handle any issues raised sensitively.”
The allegations against Riley were first reported by the Sunday Times, which said that a “secret group of the BBC’s top female presenters”, including Mishal Husain and Victoria Derbyshire, had uncovered suspected cases of sexual harassment at the broadcaster.
On Sunday, Husain hit back at the article, which included a photo of the Radio 4 Today programme presenter on the front page of the newspaper. She posted a statement on Twitter that said: “Today the Sunday Times used my name and image in a story headlined ‘Top BBC women expose sex pests’. It is an inaccurate portrayal of conversations women at the BBC have been having since the pay gaps were identified in July.
“Our group acts as a forum for female colleagues to come together, which many of us wish had existed earlier in our careers and which discusses a wide range of issues, offering support and advice where necessary. It is wrong to portray it as being focused on sexual harassment or targeting individuals.”
On the allegations against Riley, a BBC spokesman said: “We can’t comment on individuals, but treat any allegations seriously and have processes in place for investigating them.”
An independent inquiry led by Dame Janet Smith found last year that serious failings at the BBC allowed Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall to sexually abuse nearly 100 people without detection for decades.
She concluded that “an atmosphere of fear still exists today in the BBC possibly because obtaining work in the BBC is highly competitive and many people no longer have the security on an employment contract”.
The corporation’s director general, Tony Hall, apologised to the survivors of abuse following publication of the report and, since then, the BBC has begun implementing internal changes to protect staff and young people.
ITV has confirmed that the Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley was no longer contracted to the soap after a claim was made against him of inappropriate behaviour by a woman at a Manchester nightclub.
Langley made his debut as Todd Grimshaw in 2001 and was the programme’s first openly gay character.
Langley, who has reportedly denied any claims of wrongdoing, said in a statement: “Sadly, I will no longer be working on Coronation Street. Acting on the show has been the fulfilment of a personal dream.
“Playing the role of Todd Grimshaw since I was 17 years old has been a huge part of my life, and an absolute honour. I would like to thank all of my friends who work on the show for their love, friendship and support during this extremely difficult period. I will make a further statement in due course, and when I am able to do so.”
