Business & Finance

BBC to slash several Radio 4 programmes as part of £500m savings plan

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

The BBC has announced that it will cut a number of Radio 4 programmes, including the long‑running consumer and social affairs show *You and Yours*. The social sciences programme *Thinking Allowed* and the arts and ideas show *Free Thinking* will also be axed. Other shows such as *The Artificial Human* and *Open Country* will be discontinued, according to a Thursday announcement. Radio 5 Live will see a reduction in commissioning for its schedule and podcasts.

The corporation has pledged to invest in a new consumer programme and two new weekly shows that will explore ideas shaping the world, as well as the impact of technology and AI. Radio 4’s flagship history, science and culture programme *In Our Time* will be extended, as will *Start the Week* and *Farming Today*.

"Reshaping BBC speech audio" is the aim, said Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds. He explained that by commissioning fewer programmes overall, the BBC can focus its investment and make its 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," he added.

Wall said the difficult decisions about cuts to shows and staff were "not based on cost alone" and that the BBC needed to make significant savings while investing for the future.

Last month, Director General Matt Brittin said the BBC’s financial situation and changing audience habits could mean that some channels and radio stations might have to close so resources could be invested in on‑demand services. He told BBC One’s *Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg* that "we wouldn't guarantee any programme or any channel will exist forever".

In June, the BBC announced 550 job cuts in news, nations and TV and radio content as part of its first stage in a plan to save £500m across the corporation over the next two years. Staff were told of proposals including ending Radio 4’s *The World Tonight* and reducing the number of permanent presenters on *Today* from five to four, with a single anchor on Saturdays. It was also revealed that BBC One’s *Breakfast* would no longer be shown on Sunday mornings and that the production teams for *Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg* and *Newsnight* would merge.

The changes follow April’s announcement that the BBC would cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs – almost one in ten – to tackle "significant financial pressures".

Last week, a group of MPs urged that the BBC licence fee be extended to cover services other than TV and that the corporation’s charter review be made permanent. The DCMS committee also recommended that political appointments to the BBC board should end to improve public trust.