Tim Westwood steps down from Capital Xtra radio show amid sexual misconduct allegations
Sejal Karia reports after Tim Westwood stepped down from his weekly radio show until further notice amid the sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Tim Westwood has stepped down from his weekly Capital Xtra show until further notice following a series of allegations of sexual misconduct, the radio station's parent company Global has announced.
The veteran hip hop DJ and former BBC Radio 1 presenter, 65, has been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by several women when they were in their late teens or 20s.
Westwood, who left BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years to return to Capital Radio, has denied all claims and “strongly rejects all allegations of wrongdoing”.
Westwood hosts a regular show on Saturday nights on Capital Xtra, where he is referred to as “The Big Dawg”.
A statement from Global on Wednesday said: “Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice.”
Westwood was due to appear at a number of events over the next month but the listings have disappeared from his website.
An appearance at the Empire in Bedford, which was due to take place on Friday, has been scrapped and a statement from his management shared on Instagram says: “In light of the allegations, this event has been cancelled.
“Tim Westwood denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
“Apologies for inconvenience this may cause to your bank holiday weekend.”
In allegations made to the BBC and the Guardian, the former BBC Radio 1 DJ is claimed to have misused his position in the music industry to take advantage of seven black women.
Three women have accused Westwood of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour, while four others allege they were groped by him at events, according to the Guardian.
ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia sets out the allegations in a Tuesday night report
A statement from a representative of the DJ's said: “Tim Westwood strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
“In a career that has spanned 40 years, there have never been any complaints made against him officially or unofficially.
“Tim Westwood strongly rejects all allegations of wrongdoing.”
What did the BBC know? ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar sets out what the BBC has said about the allegations around the DJ who worked for Radio 1 for nearly two decades
BBC director general Tim Davie has said the allegations made against the DJ are “shocking” and the claims made by the women are “powerful and appalling”, but he has seen “no evidence of complaints” from the DJ’s time at the corporation.
“I would simply say if people have evidence where things weren’t followed up, or they have concern in this area, bring it to us. We want to investigate it,” he added.
A statement from the BBC said: “The BBC is against all forms of inappropriate behaviour and we are shocked to hear of these allegations. The BBC has strict codes of conduct for all those engaged by the BBC, including on-air presenters.”
The allegations were detailed in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, which aired on Tuesday evening.
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