LONDON: The British government warned the BBC yesterday that a growing sex abuse scandal was raising “very real concerns” about public trust in the broadcaster.

The BBC has been thrown into disarray by accusations that it helped cover up sexual abuse by one of its former presenters, Jimmy Savile, and has struggled to explain why one of its own programs dropped an investigation into Savile last year.

Police and the BBC, which is funded by the public through a license fee, are looking into allegations that the eccentric, cigar-chomping Savile, who died last year, abused girls as young as 12 over six decades. Some of the attacks were alleged to have taken place on BBC premises.

“These allegations do leave many institutions, perhaps particularly the BBC, with serious questions to answer,” Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament.

“The government will do everything it can do, other institutions must do what they can do, to make sure we learn the lessons of this and it can never happen again.” Cameron’s comments follow a letter from Culture Secretary Maria Miller who told the BBC that “very real concerns are being raised about public trust and confidence in the BBC.” Lawmakers and the media heavily criticized Director General George Entwistle for his uncertain appearance before parliament on Tuesday to answer questions over the scandal.

His predecessor, Mark Thompson, is also facing scrutiny over his handling of the case.

The scandal that has enveloped one of Britain’s most respected news organizations is now hitting one of America’s, as the incoming president of The New York Times is on the defensive about his final days as head of the BBC.

Mark Thompson was in charge of the BBC in late 2011 when the broadcaster shelved what would have been a bombshell investigation alleging that the late Jimmy Savile, one of its biggest stars, was a serial sex offender.

The BBC scandal has horrified Britain with revelations that Savile, a popular children’s television presenter, cajoled and coerced vulnerable teens into having sex with him in his car, in his camper van, and even in dingy dressing rooms on BBC premises.

Police say there could be more than 200 victims, leading one child protection charity to state that Savile could rank among Britain’s most prolific child sex predators.

In a sign of how the scandal may spread, the BBC said Tuesday it was looking into claims of sexual abuse and harassment against nine other current and former employees and contributors.

As increasing numbers of BBC executives come under the microscope over what they knew about Savile — and why the posthumous expose about his sexual crimes was blocked — Thompson is being quizzed about his role as well.

In a letter to Conservative lawmaker Rob Wilson, Thompson laid out his defense, saying he never worked with Savile, never worked on any of the entertainer’s programs and indeed never met the man. Referring to the increasing number of BBC employees who have come forward to say that Savile’s interest in young girls was widely rumored, Thompson said he had never been aware of the whispers.

“If I had, I would have raised them with senior colleagues and contacted the police,” said Thompson, 55.

The scandal took another twist when it emerged that an investigation into Savile by the BBC’s “Newsnight” program was shelved last year only weeks before the BBC aired a glowing holiday tribute show to Savile.

Now journalists and lawmakers are asking whether BBC bosses canned the show to protect their star, a prodigious charity fundraiser who was widely eulogized following his death last year at age 84.

The corporation denies a cover-up, although “Newsnight” editor Peter Rippon recently stepped down as the BBC’s internal investigation got under way. After weeks of standing by Rippon, the BBC has said his explanation about why the Savile show was not broadcast was incomplete and inaccurate.

With Thompson about to move from one of the most important jobs in the British media to one of most important jobs in American journalism, exactly what he knew — and when he knew it — could be critical to his future career.

In a statement last week, Thompson said he had “never heard any allegations or received any complaints” about Savile during his time as BBC director-general, from 2004 to 2012.

But an Oct. 7 story by London’s Sunday Times appeared to contradict him, reporting that a BBC journalist had tipped Thompson off about the Savile investigation.

The Sunday Times is published by News International, an arm of Rupert Murdoch’s global News Corp. empire, and has no corporate ties to The New York Times.

Thompson acknowledged being warned about what was happening at “Newsnight” by a BBC journalist during a company cocktail reception late last year, but he said the journalist never “set out what allegations ‘Newsnight’ were investigating or had been investigating.” Thompson said he followed the matter up with other executives who told him the ‘Newsnight’ investigation was canned on journalistic grounds.

“I had no reason to believe that anyone in the BBC was withholding controversial or incriminating material,” he wrote in the letter to the lawmaker.

Wilson, the lawmaker, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has written to Thompson again seeking more answers.