The BBC has moved swiftly to replace Scott Mills with Sara Cox for Eurovision 2026, as the broadcaster distances itself entirely from the long-serving presenter following allegations of serious sexual offences involving a teenage boy.
Mills, 53, was abruptly dismissed after 28 years with the BBC, just days after being taken off air during what would become his final Radio 2 Breakfast Show. The corporation has since confirmed that all planned appearances — including his role at Eurovision — have been scrapped.
Now, Sara Cox, 51, is set to step into the spotlight. The Radio 2 favourite is expected to take over commentary duties for the Eurovision semi-finals and potentially the final, after previously working alongside Rylan Clark during last year’s coverage.
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, with semi-finals on May 12 and 14 and the grand final on May 16 — but this year’s show will go ahead without one of its most familiar voices.
Mills had been a staple of Eurovision coverage since 2011, regularly guiding audiences through the semi-finals on BBC One and hosting the final on Radio 2. Speaking last year about his passion for the contest, he said Eurovision is like a melting pot and we’re all there for the same reason, adding that “we absolutely adore it, it’s our World Cup.”
His sudden removal comes amid resurfaced allegations dating back to the late 1990s. It has been reported that the complainant was under 16 at the time. While Scotland Yard confirmed that Mills was interviewed in 2018, the case was ultimately closed in 2019 due to insufficient evidence, with the Crown Prosecution Service declining to proceed.
Investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas revealed that the case emerged during a wider wave of historic allegations following the Jimmy Savile scandal, explaining that many high-profile names were investigated but not charged.
Despite the case being dropped years ago, renewed attention appears to have been sparked by the release of a recent docu-drama about Huw Edwards. Sources suggest this may have prompted the complainant to revisit the allegations and approach the BBC again.
The broadcaster has so far declined to give detailed reasons for Mills’s dismissal, citing only concerns over “personal conduct.” However, questions are mounting internally over what senior figures knew — and when.
Some insiders have even hinted that the timing of Mills’s exit, coming just days after the release of the Huw Edwards drama, is unlikely to be coincidental.
