The BBC has announced plans to axe a raft of Radio 4 programmes, including You And Yours and Thinking Allowed, as the corporation makes “difficult decisions” for “significant savings”.
Programme changes and replacements
Long-running consumer and social affairs show You And Yours will come to an end, and the production team behind it is developing a “refreshed” consumer programme, the BBC said. The new programme is “designed to work both on air and on demand that builds on Radio 4’s tradition of original reporting, practical advice, and holding organisations to account”, the corporation added.
Social sciences show Thinking Allowed will also be cut, along with arts and ideas programme Free Thinking and The Artificial Human, which investigates the uses of AI. Open Country will also come to an end, while BBC 5 Live will see a reduction in commissioning spend on schedule and sports podcasts from 2027/28.
Savings and podcast reductions
The BBC also announced it will reduce the number of podcasts on BBC Sounds “to make space for new formats”. The news comes as the BBC seeks to make £500 million in savings.
Thinking Allowed, Free Thinking and The Artificial Human will be replaced with two year-round weekly programmes – one exploring the ideas shaping our lives and the wider world, the other examining the impact of technology and AI. Farming Today’s weekend edition will expand, as will Start The Week and In Our Time, which will extend to an hour.
Director’s statement and job impact
Jonathan Wall, director of BBC Sounds, said: “We are reshaping BBC speech audio to build a strong future for trusted journalism, distinctive storytelling and programmes that bring people together. By commissioning fewer programmes overall, we can focus our investment and make our best shows work across broadcast, on demand and different formats. That means accelerating growth on our own digital platforms and reaching more people beyond the BBC, while maintaining the strength of Radio 4 and 5 Live, the country’s two biggest speech radio stations. These are difficult decisions, and they are not based on cost alone. We need to make significant savings while investing for the future. I am extremely grateful to the teams behind the programmes affected, and we will support colleagues and work closely with unions throughout consultation.”
The BBC announced plans in June for savings across the news, nations and content divisions, which are set to deliver £160 million of £500 million in savings needed by 2028/29. Around 2,000 jobs are expected to be cut as part of the process. The broadcaster most recently announced 41 job losses at BBC Sport. The BBC’s latest annual report detailed how the corporation’s financial outlook “deteriorated” in the second half of 2025.
