BBC confirms Scott Mills replacement for Race Across the World spin-off following Radio 2 departure

The BBC has confirmed Tyler West will now host Race Across the World: The Detour, following Scott Mills's departure from the broadcaster.

The visual podcast initially had Mills set to the helm following his win on the celebrity edition, along with season 4 winner Alfie Watts sharing his top travel tips and hacks, but broadcaster, DJ and former Celebrity Race Across the World contestant West is now on hosting duties.

The podcast will feature celebrity fans, comedians and experts as they dissect the latest episodes.

The first episode's guests will include Kola Bokinni and West's partner and Celebrity Race Across the World co-star, EastEnders' Molly Rainford, with Yinka Bokinni joining for a bonus episode.

The podcast will be available immediately after the main series airs on BBC One.

This latest news comes after Mills was sacked by the BBC following allegations over his 'personal conduct'.

It was later confirmed by the Metropolitan Police that Mills was questioned in 2018 over allegations of serious sexual offences against a boy who was aged under 16. The investigation was later closed with no charges made.

In a statement shared with Radio Times, Mills said: "The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation. In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.

"An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018. As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.

"Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.

"I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson had previously said in a statement: "In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force. The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy. These were reported to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.

"As part of these enquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview, was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.

"A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019."

The Mirror has said that it understands Mills's sacking was in relation to the individual involved in the allegations referenced by the police.

A spokesperson for the BBC said yesterday: "We hope people understand that there is a limit to what we can say because we have to be mindful of the rights of those involved.

"What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.

"The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear action would be taken if these were not met.

"Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made. We are doing more work to understand the detail of what was known by the BBC at this time."

BBC News has reported that the director-general at the time, Tony Hall, did not know about the allegations.

Race Across the World: The Detour will be available weekly on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

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