BBC presenter scandal: Who is director-general Tim Davie and what is his salary as controversy continues?

It seems for director-general Tim Davie that disclosing the BBC's annual report could not have come at a worse time. It means the man in charge of the broadcaster will need to face the media while it is embroiled in a scandal.

A BBC presenter who remains unnamed as of yet stands accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photographs. The topic is likely to dominate Davie's time in front of the media.

But who is Tim Davie, and what is his role exactly at the BBC?

Born in Croydon, Davie, 56, is the 17th director-general in the BBC's history after succeeding Lord Hall of Birkenhead in September 2020. A Cambridge graduate, Davie joined the BBC after a career in marketing.

Davie's first role at the BBC was as director of marketing communications and audiences in 2005.

He operated as the BBC's acting director-general in 2012 after George Entwistle's resignation in November 2012.

This period saw Davie oversee the investigation into BBC management and conduct as revelations about sex abuser Jimmy Savile came to light.

But before this, he also tried a stint in politics where he unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for the Conservative Party in 1993 and 1994 in the Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council elections.

The director-general's role is to operate as the BBC's chief executive and editor-in-chief. The position is appointed by the BBC Board.

An article in the Telegraph from 2021 states that Tim Davie's salary received a 15 percent increase then to take his salary to £525,000

The BBC's annual report is where the earnings of its top presenters are revealed and therefore, the celebrity who is accused of paying for the images may be named too in regard to their salary.

A big turning point in the story has been that the young person at the centre of the allegations has released a statement in response to the story first published by The Sun saying nothing unlawful happened and that the claims were "rubbish."

There is speculation MPs may use parliamentary privilege to name the presenter in the House of Commons - something that has happened in the past and prompted minister Mel Stride to urge her colleagues not to do so.