Tim Westwood steps down from radio show following sexual misconduct claims

Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show on Capital Xtra until further notice following allegations of sexual misconduct, the radio station’s parent company Global has said.

The veteran hip hop DJ and radio presenter hosts a regular show on Saturday nights on the station, where he is referred to as “The Big Dawg”.

A Global spokesperson said: “Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice.”

Westwood, who left BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years, has been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by several women.

A representative said he “strongly rejects all allegations of wrongdoing”.

In allegations made to the BBC and the Guardian, Westwood, 64, is alleged to have misused his position in the music industry to take advantage of seven women who were in their late teens or early 20s at the time.

Three women have accused the DJ of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour, while four others allege they were groped by him at events, according to the Guardian.

A statement from Westwood’s representative to the PA news agency on Tuesday 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.”

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.”

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.

The allegations were detailed in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse Of Power, which aired on Tuesday evening.

Asked at the Voice Of The Listener & Viewer spring conference about the possibility that complaints to the BBC about Westwood were ignored due to a lack of diversity, Davie said of the documentary: “It is shocking, and the testimony of the women is powerful and appalling.

“By the way, I credit the BBC and Guardian teams for going after the story. I think that that’s absolutely what we should be doing.

“I’ve seen no evidence of complaints. I’ve asked and we looked at our records and we’ve seen no evidence.”

He added: “I do think now we’re in a position where we’re very clear on culture, which is every complaint has to be taken seriously. If something like this were raised or anything comes up, we investigate it fully. And I would hope we were doing that in that time as well.

“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 continued: “The one thing I know is you have to look at yourself and say: ‘Did I know anything?’ and in this case, I’ve seen no evidence that I did, but we will follow up anything and we’ll dig and dig and dig.

“It’s shocking to see those testimonies. But more generally, if people have got evidence of wrongdoing, absolutely, we need to bring it forward.

“A truly inclusive workforce means that people feel confident to speak up, talk, raise things, there’s no fear in the environment. I think all corporations have to work really hard to create that environment.”

Published: 27/04/2022 by Radio NewsHub