David Dimbleby has expressed his dismay over the BBC's cost-cutting measures that will lead to up to 2,000 job losses. The national broadcaster aims to save £500 million over two years, with redundancies announced in April set to occur over the next three years.
Dimbleby's Reaction
Speaking to Radio Times, the former Question Time host, 87, said: “Why on earth have they done that? The best analysis of politics, both national and international… I’m appalled. Very bad, bad, bad, bad, bad call.”
Dimbleby, who also presented Panorama, criticized the cuts to BBC Studios Events, which covers national occasions like Remembrance Day and state funerals. The team was told all but one member will be axed.
Impact on BBC Events
“And my God, BBC Events being closed,” Dimbleby said. He provided commentary on Cenotaph services for over 25 years and came out of retirement to lead coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. “It takes months of connections to make friends with the people at the Palace, with Westminster Abbey, with the police… It’s a BBC gold standard to cover big national events. It’s at the heart of the BBC, and I cannot understand what they’re up to. But I have no power in the BBC.”
BBC's Response
The BBC stated: “The BBC has to make at least £500 million of savings and BBC News, like all of the BBC, needs to play its part. We have tried to mitigate the impact on audiences as much as possible, so The World Tonight will be replaced by BBC World Service’s Newshour, another high-quality news analysis programme made by the same production team, preceded by a domestic news bulletin.”
Radio 4’s The World Tonight will be axed after more than 50 years. Other changes include cutting the Sunday morning edition of BBC Breakfast from September and merging production teams for Newsnight and Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
Broader Cuts
BBC director-general Matt Brittin said in a staff note that the corporation will “review our broadcast TV channels and radio network portfolio as audiences move online” and that up to 10% of “senior leaders” will be cut.
Dimbleby joined the BBC as a news reporter in Bristol in the 1960s and presented Question Time from 1994 to 2018.
