Stephen Nolan is a ‘legislation unto himself as a result of he’s so highly effective’ as one of many BBC’s highest paid stars insider claims – after it emerged the Radio 5 Dwell host ‘despatched bare pictures of Stephen Bear to colleagues’

BBC star Stephen Nolan is a ‘legislation unto himself’ as a result of he’s ‘so highly effective’ throughout the company, it was claimed final night time, following allegations that he despatched photos of a actuality star’s penis to his colleagues. 

Nolan, who’s the fifth-highest paid expertise throughout the BBC and is known as one of many broadcaster’s ‘greatest beasts’, reportedly warned extra pictures of Stephen Bear‘s genitals would comply with in the event that they did not ebook him for his TV present Nolan Dwell.

Celebrity Big Brother winner Bear, who has since been jailed for voyeurism and two counts of ‘revenge porn’, was then booked onto the present, the place he stripped off and posed in his underwear with Nolan, who earns round £400,000 a yr.

In mild of the allegations, those that have beforehand labored with the BBC star have now come ahead claiming the Northern Irish presenter was a divisive determine, recognized equally for his loyalty and generosity as he was for overstepping the mark.

‘The difficulty is that he does not know the place to attract the road,’ one supply informed the Instances. ‘He is likely one of the greatest beasts on the BBC in Northern Eire and has turn into a little bit of a legislation unto himself as a result of he’s so highly effective.”

One other former staffer stated that they held ‘conflicted’ views concerning the presenter, including that Nolan was a ‘little bit of an enigma’.

Texts and paperwork leaked to the Irish Information revealed Stephen Nolan had stated: ‘I need Bear!’, including in one other: ‘If I do not get Bear tomorrow night time I am sending extra bear pictures.’ His staff then managed to ebook him (pictured)

Bear (pictured) was sentenced to 21 months in jail this yr for voyeurism and two counts of ‘revenge porn’ that includes his former girlfriend Georgia Harrison

Stephen Nolan and Stephen Bear dance of their pants in 2016 on his Nolan Dwell present after the broadcaster allegedly despatched photos of the disgraced actuality star’s penis to colleagues to encourage them to ebook him 

The ex-employee stated that whereas Nolan has helped the BBC efficiently ‘talk with working-class audiences’ that it usually struggles to fulfill, the presenter has a ‘monstrous ego’ and is surrounded by ‘a bunch of sure males’. 

Others, nonetheless, praised Nolan’s good character, citing the time when he paid for his complete staff’s Christmas social gathering regardless that he couldn’t attend because of his fame. 

The newest string of allegations, which embody bullying claims, usually are not the primary time Nolan has confronted controversy throughout his profession on the BBC. 

Final yr he was thrown right into a transphobia row after his podcast Nolan Investigates: Stonewall after he acquired a string of nominations on the annual Audio and Radio Business Awards (Arias).

His podcast was extensively praised and should have performed a task authorities’s choice to distance itself from the charity in 2021 over its allegedly ‘extremist stance’ on trans points and hostility to gender-critical opinions.

However a bunch of radio producers threatened to boycott the awards ceremony claiming the podcast contributed to ‘a dangerous ethical panic surrounding trans individuals’ and ‘perpetuates a story that making a protected world for trans individuals is a divisive situation.

Nolan joined BBC Radio Ulster again in 2003 and shortly rose to prominence throughout the company nabbing numerous radio awards, together with being named the Royal Tv Society’s Presenter of the Yr in 2005 and 2006.

He now presents a every day weekday morning present on Radio Ulster, which is essentially the most listened to programme in in Northern Eire, and a nightly phone-in present on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Stephen Nolan’s BBC NI radio present is essentially the most listened to within the province

Nolan has used his success to spice up his wage, which stays greater than As we speak present presenter’s Mishal Husain and Nick Robinson, who’re paid £315,000 and £275,00 respectively. 

Talking candidly about his pay package deal beforehand in 2017, he stated: ‘I’m truthful sport for scrutiny and truthful sport for dialog.’

He added: ‘I wish to work as a lot as I can, I wish to be the most effective I will be and I wish to earn as a lot as I can.’

The newest allegations come from texts and paperwork leaked to the Irish Information yesterday.

Textual content messages despatched with the express pictures reportedly stated: ‘I need bear’ and ‘If I do not get Bear tomorrow night time I am sending extra bear pictures’.

The investigation additionally alleged: 

Bear, who had simply received Movie star Large Brother, was then efficiently booked and stripped off on the present the place each males posed of their underpants in entrance of a dwell viewers in 2016.

Bear was sentenced to 21 months in jail this yr for voyeurism and two counts of ‘revenge porn’ that includes his former girlfriend Georgia Harrison, who has received £200,000 compensation from her abusive ex.

The footage stays on the BBC web site in the present day. MailOnline has requested the BBC and Mr Nolan to remark. 

Stephen Bear, who received Movie star Large Brother in 2016, was jailed for 21 months for sharing a personal intercourse video of Georgia Harrison on his OnlyFans web site. He should additionally pay her £200,000 compensation

Nolan continued to current his weekday programme on Radio Ulster this morning. He didn’t handle the allegation within the Irish Information.

The allegations have plunged the BBC into scorching water, with with two of the biggest political events in Northern Eire calling for severe inquiries to be answered.

A Sinn Féin spokesman informed the Irish Information: ‘The BBC is funded via a authorities sponsored licence price. There may be, subsequently, a really clear and onerous duty on the BBC to ship most worth, transparency and accountability.

‘Latest revelations referring to the Nolan present elevate very severe questions for the BBC administration which should be answered candidly.’

He added that ‘viewers figures and score ought to by no means result in the tolerance of unhealthy apply or inappropriate behaviour by radio and TV presenters’.

In the meantime Gregory Campbell DUP MP for East Londonderry stated yesterday: ‘The size and significance of the revelations printed in the present day, have been they associated to another space of life in Northern Eire, would undoubtedly be headline information throughout the BBC. ‘Radio silence’ simply will not minimize it nonetheless on this occasion.

‘Many individuals will clearly query the tradition which seems to be prevalent throughout the programme the place its presenter has despatched undesirable sexual pictures to employees members.

‘This in the end is a matter of how public cash is utilized in Northern Eire and it deserves the identical stage of scrutiny and questioning, each from the BBC and different sections of the media’.

A spokesman for BBC NI informed the Irish Information: ‘We do not touch upon particular person staffing issues. The BBC has established processes in place to take care of any workplace-related points and considerations. These are utilized pretty, persistently and with all acceptable safeguards, together with in relation to confidentiality.’ 

A 2018 investigation into Nolan is alleged to have centred on photos of Stephen Bear’s penis and complaints about Nolan’s ‘tight knit’ staff. 

Nolan had allegedly despatched the images – together with one in all Bear aroused – to the colleagues in control of reserving friends for his Nolan Dwell TV present in November 2016. 

A complainant stated the primary image of Bear’s penis was a ‘deliberate try to undermine and embarrass me’ by Nolan. The identical particular person stated ‘additional misery’ was brought on when a second ‘completely different express photograph of Stephen Bear bare’ and aroused was despatched to the group.

A disciplinary investigation was launched and ‘acceptable motion’ was taken, the BBC stated.

A doc seen by the Irish Information stated the matter was ‘managed internally. Whereas the particular final result of the method is non-public and confidential to Stephen, I can affirm that acceptable motion has been taken,’ it stated.

A BBC human assets supervisor despatched to Belfast from England discovered Nolan didn’t have a case to reply, on many of the bullying and harassment claims.

One paperwork stated: ‘The entire interviewees stated that they discovered the present an excellent one to work on…They acknowledged it was a tricky present due to the character of the topics they lined and the very fact it was every day and dwell.

‘They stated they have been a good knit group who labored properly collectively and all felt they might and did communicate up when wanted to when individuals disagreed.

‘Most stated there was a stage of banter within the staff but it surely was not one thing that they discovered personally offensive’.

Textual content messages despatched by Nolan present his obvious dislike for different components of BBC NI, particularly on information, and his rivals at different broadcasters.

In a single he known as William Crawley, one in all BBC NI’s different huge stars, a ‘devious c***’.  One other message known as UTV’s Marc Mallett, ‘Timmy Mallet’. Nolan apparently chipped in and stated: ‘He is terrible’.

It got here because the BBC continues its ‘fact-finding’ investigation into the allegations about Huw Edwards.

Tim Davie has conceded the controversy has been a ‘troublesome affair’ for the Company because it sought to ‘navigate’ the claims concerning the presenter alongside its ‘responsibility of care’ and ‘privateness’ points.

He additionally revealed the inquiry staff had now spoken to the member of the family who made the unique allegations about Mr Edwards to the BBC. The star has been on the centre of claims that £35,000 was paid to a weak younger particular person for express photos.

Adam Smyth, Director, BBC Northern Eire stated: ‘There are vital issues of equity and confidentiality concerned within the dealing with of any office associated grievance.

‘We take these obligations significantly – and within the pursuits of everybody concerned. It’s for these causes that we can not touch upon the specifics of any particular person case, who/what it might have concerned or its final result.’