Stephen Nolan reportedly sent BBC colleague’s pictures of Stephen Bear’s penis (Picture: PA)
BBC broadcaster Stephen Nolan reportedly sent sexually explicit images of Stephen Bear’s penis and threatened to send more to BBC colleagues.
The presenter, 49, fronts weekly programme Nolan Live on BBC Northern Ireland, as well as hosting a BBC Radio 5 Live show.
It was revealed in July that Nolan is the fifth highest-paid star at the BBC, earning £400,000 a year, however, it has now been claimed he sent several pictures of Bear’s penis to colleagues, threatening them with more if they didn’t book the shamed reality star for his programme.
Bear, 33, is currently serving a 21-month jail sentence after secretly recording a sex video with Georgia Harrison, 28, on CCTV in his garden in August 2020, and then sharing it online without consent.
He has since been ordered to pay Harrison £207,900 in damages for the leak.
Former Celebrity Big Brother star Bear was booked for Nolan Live in 2016, with the programme seeing the two men strip down to their underpants in front of a live audience.
It has now been claimed that Nolan sent sexually explicit pictures of Bear and threatened to send more to BBC colleagues, ahead of signing Bear for the 2016 show.
Bear is serving a 21-month jail sentence (Picture: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
According to the Irish News, Nolan wrote a message saying: ‘I want Bear!’
He reportedly warned in another: ‘If I don’t get Bear tomorrow night I’m sending more bear photos.’
The publication claims to have seen messages containing the images, which were described as ‘beyond the pale’ by one of the recipients in an internal complaint sent to BBC Northern Ireland in 2018.
The recipient states in the complaint that the image of Bear’s penis was a ‘deliberate attempt to undermine and embarrass me’, and said they suffered ‘further distress’ by a second picture.
The publication further notes an internal probe took place after the complaint in 2018 and the outcome of the disciplinary process was ‘managed internally’ with ‘appropriate action’ taken, according to the document seen.
Bear appeared on the show in 2016 (Picture: BBC)
In a statement to Irish News on Monday, BBC NI said: ‘We don’t comment on individual staffing matters. The BBC has established processes in place to deal with any workplace-related issues and concerns. These are applied fairly, consistently and with all appropriate safeguards, including in relation to confidentiality.’
This comes just weeks after scandal erupted at the BBC when Huw Edwards was revealed to be the unnamed BBC presenter who paid for sexually explicit images.
The Met police later confirmed there is no evidence of a crime being committed, and Edwards’s wife shortly afterwards released a statement on his behalf.
Vicky Flind said that her husband was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and ‘is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future’.
Following the announcement, BBC boss Tim Davie said an investigation at the BBC would ‘continue’.
Metro.co.uk has approached the BBC and Nolan for comment.
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Stephen Nolan reportedly threatened to send more.