The BBC has removed planned repeat episodes of Ashley Cain’s documentary series Into The Danger Zone after an investigation revealed historic tweets in which the presenter referred to women in deeply offensive terms and sent abusive sexualised messages to female users.
The Guardian published the investigation detailing a series of tweets in which Cain called women “sgs,” “sts” and “psychos,” made jokes about hitting women, and used degrading sexual language. In 2014, responding to a female user, he reportedly wrote: “Go and choke on a ck you st.” In 2015, he wrote to another: “The only thing that’s desperate around here is your pictures with your sht tts. Now suck a dk, and fk off.” The publication said there were around a dozen similar posts. Cain’s X account was subsequently removed from the platform on Wednesday evening.
The BBC moved quickly in response, pulling repeat episodes from the first series of Into The Danger Zone that had been due to air next week. The second series, which was filmed earlier this year, has not been scheduled for broadcast. A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “We are very clear we expect the highest standards of behaviour from everyone who works with or for the BBC. When allegations are brought to our attention we take them seriously. We will consider this information carefully and do not intend to comment further at this stage.” The Daily Mail said it had contacted Cain’s representatives for comment.
Cain, who began his career as a professional footballer before moving into reality television, appeared on MTV’s Ex On The Beach between 2014 and 2015, competed in Celebrity MasterChef in 2025 where he reached the semi-final, and also appeared on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. He had more recently moved into documentary presenting with Into The Danger Zone on BBC Three, a series that follows him travelling to some of the world’s most dangerous places to interview young men on the fringes of society. BBC executives had praised his “exceptional” ability to connect with young men and described him as representing exactly “what BBC Three is about.”
Cain is also widely known for his charity work. His daughter Azaylia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and died at just eight months old on 24 April 2021 after tumours were found on her lungs, stomach and kidneys. In the years since, Cain has channelled his grief into extreme ultra-endurance fundraising challenges for childhood cancer research. His relationship with Azaylia’s mother Safiyya Vorajee ended after her death, with Vorajee saying the couple struggled with their grief and that Cain had begun to drink “quite a lot.” He has since had two sons, Aliyas and Atlas, born in January and November 2024 respectively.
