Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has expressed his profound dismay over impending job cuts at the BBC which could see up to 2,000 employees lose their positions.
Speaking to Radio Times, the 87-year-old said he was “appalled” by the national broadcaster’s decision.
The BBC is aiming to achieve £500 million in savings over two years, with the announced redundancies expected to be implemented over the next three years.
“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,” he said.
The Independent understands morale among some staff at the corporation is low as news of the cuts comes amid the release of a number of presenters’ salaries who were found to earn six-figure salaries.
One staff member, speaking anonymously, said there was “an obvious disconnect in the organisation” and staff want senior leadership to “be more transparent and self-aware”.
Dimbleby, who previously hosted Question Time, also criticised cuts made to BBC Studios Events.
The team responsible for coverage of national occasions like Remembrance Day and state funerals was told all but one of them will be axed to cut costs.
“And my God, BBC Events being closed!” Dimbleby said.
“It takes months of connections to make friends with the people at the Palace, with Westminster Abbey, with the police, to know what’s going on with Downing Street, so that when the day comes, everybody helps you.
“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.”
In a statement, the BBC said: “The BBC has to make at least £500m 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.”
It was previously announced BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight will be axed after more than 50 years, one of the first victims of the broadcaster’s savings drive.
Dimbleby joined the BBC as a news reporter in Bristol in the 1960s.
He presented Question Time from 1994 to 2018.
In other changes, the Sunday morning edition of BBC Breakfast will be cut from September and the production teams for Newsnight and Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg will be merged.
BBC director-general Matt Brittin said in a note to staff that the corporation will “review our broadcast TV channels and radio network portfolio as audiences move online”.
He also said up to 10% of “senior leaders” will be cut from the organisation.
