BBC presenter Tony Livesey is to “step back” from his 5 Live radio show after allegations were raised about his previous career as editor-in-chief of David Sullivan’s Sport Newspapers.
The public broadcaster is considering the findings of a Panorama investigation into the West Ham owner, in which he was accused of sexually exploitative behaviour against women over several decades. Sullivan denies the allegations, stating through his lawyers: “I categorically deny all of these complaints.”
Livesey, 62, will not present his regular late-night show while the BBC considers questions raised by the programme, after it featured a claim by one alleged victim that he had arranged a meeting between her and Sullivan. The 5 Live presenter said he had “huge sympathy” for the woman but had “no recollection” of introducing her to Sullivan and rejected any suggestion he played a part in it.
However, the BBC is facing pressure to take further action after staffers raised concerns over Livesey’s role at the Sullivan-owned Sport titles, which for many years ran a salacious feature teasing readers with photos of partially-clothed schoolgirls.
Aware he would be named in the Panorama investigation, Livesey absented himself from Monday’s 5 Live show, The i Paper understands. The show was presented by Qasa Alom, who reported on the allegations against Sullivan, which first emerged following a joint investigation by Panorama and The Times.
That absence will now be extended for an unspecified period.
In the programme, a woman given the name of Florence said she was in the Sport newsroom when Livesey, then editor, passed her the phone with Sullivan on the line and set up an appointment she believed would be a professional casting for a modelling job with the paper.
Livesey has said it was “not part” of his role to introduce women to Sullivan and that he had “practically zero” contact with anyone appearing in the paper. The allegation he introduced a woman to Sullivan was “abhorrent”, he said.
The presenter has built a successful broadcasting career since quitting the Sport papers in 2006. But the Panorama prompted further questions about the culture at the Sport presided over by Livesey when he was editor-in-chief.
The papers ran a feature called “Countdown to 16” where readers were shown photos of partially-clothed schoolgirls. The girls’ 16th birthdays were marked with the publication of topless photos.
At the time, 16 was the minimum age someone could legally appear topless. This was raised to 18 in 2004.
In a book about his time at the Sport, Livesey said that he and Sullivan had invented the feature. He has since denied this, telling the BBC it was “categorically” not his idea and that large parts of his book were fictionalised to make it appear that he “was at the centre of all stories”.
One BBC staffer said: “It’s astonishing that someone could so easily transition from publishing topless photos of teenage girls to becoming an established BBC presenter. The questions about Livesey’s role at the Sport have to be fully investigated.”
Confirming Livesey’s extended absence, a BBC spokesperson said: “The Panorama investigation included allegations about Tony Livesey which we take seriously. We also note Tony has firmly denied the allegations.
“He has asked to step back from presenting his radio show for a short period and we will be considering the matters raised by the programme. We will not be commenting further at this stage.”
Livesey began his BBC career at Radio Lancashire and moved to 5 Live in 2010, where he was offered the late-night show, benefiting from the station’s move from London to Salford.
A former radio executive said: “Tony got the show because he is an excellent broadcaster, the BBC doesn’t have many Northern voices that speak to listeners like he can.”
The person added: “At the time, the Sport was seen more like Viz comic, with ridiculous stories like statues of Elvis found on Mars. Now with the Sullivan investigation, people are looking at the darker side of the papers.”
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