Category Archives: BBC

Lost Doctor Who episodes found – but owner is reluctant to hand them to BBC

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As sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary nears, a collector pleads for BBC to offer amnesty to those with recordings discarded by corporation

For Doctor Who-lovers they are the missing crown jewels: lost episodes of the first series of the TV sci-fi drama, shown in the 1960s. But now film recordings of not just one, but two of the early BBC adventures, both featuring the first doctor, William Hartnell, has been found in Britain by amateur sleuths.

The episodes, one featuring the Daleks, would offer viewers a chance to travel back in time without the use of a Tardis. But the Observer has learned that the owners of the rare, rediscovered footage are not prepared to hand it over to the BBC, even as the clock ticks down to the 60th anniversary of the show’s launch this month.

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Bong! Big Ben broadcasts to return to Radio 4’s regular schedule

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Westminster’s famous bell will be heard live from next week after years of only occasional appearances

It is one of the most recognisable sounds in the UK, and one that hasn’t been heard on BBC Radio 4 since New Year’s Eve last year, but from next week the famous bongs of Big Ben will be heard once again on the station.

The most famous bell in the UK will be heard live once again on Monday 6 November, just before the 6pm news bulletin and again before midnight. Listeners will be able to hear the chimes again before Radio 4’s Westminster Hour political discussion programme at 10pm on Sundays.

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BBC Radio 2 show loses 1.3m listeners after Vernon Kay replaces Ken Bruce

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Mid-morning programme now heard by 6.9m people as opposed to 8.2m who tuned in before veteran’s departure in March

Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 show has lost 1.3 million listeners since he took over from the presenter Ken Bruce, the latest figures show.

Bruce, 72, worked at the station for 31 years before leaving in March and joining Greatest Hits Radio (GHR) the following month. Kay, 49, took over the station’s mid-morning slot in May.

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Kirsty Wark to step down from BBC Newsnight after 30 years

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The programme’s longest-serving presenter will leave after the next UK election

Kirsty Wark will step down as lead presenter of Newsnight after the next election, the BBC has announced.

Wark, who celebrated her 30th anniversary with the programme on Thursday, will continue presenting for the BBC on documentaries as well as on programmes such as The Reunion and Start the Week on Radio 4.

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BBC building sprayed with red paint in ‘protest over Israel-Hamas coverage’

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Palestine Action says it was behind incident in London, accusing BBC of ‘manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes’

A pro-Palestinian protest group has claimed responsibility for throwing red paint over the BBC’s headquarters, accusing the broadcaster of having “blood on its hands” over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

The organisation Palestine Action identified itself as being behind the incident, which took place early on Saturday morning at Broadcasting House. It alleged that the broadcaster was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes”.

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BBC denies report decision has been made to axe Top Gear

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Corporation says decision will be made ‘in due course’ after show’s staff reportedly told to look for other work after Andrew Flintoff crash

The BBC has denied Top Gear has reached the end of the road amid reports the show had been axed.

The Sun reported on Friday that the broadcaster had told production staff on the long-running show to look for other work after the presenter and former cricketer Andrew Flintoff was injured during filming last December.

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‘I’m not commenting on speculation’: Mark Harper refuses 10 times to answer questions on HS2

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In an excruciating BBC interview, the transport minister sticks resolutely to the party line on rail link … and fails to answer the question

Mark Harper is not the first cabinet minister to suffer a difficult early-morning interview, but the transport secretary seemed oddly blindsided by a quizzing about the future of HS2. No fewer than 12 times he dismissed the issue as “speculation”. If only there were a senior figure from the Department for Transport to clear things up? Here is an edited version of his awkward interview with the BBC Today Programme’s Mishal Husain:

Husain Has something changed on HS2 plans since the last update to parliament in June?

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Can Mark Thompson revive CNN’s struggling fortunes?

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The former BBC and New York Times chief has been tasked with revitalizing a news network that seems to have lost its way

In late summer, CNN found itself in crisis. Under the disastrous tenure of chief executive Chris Licht, the news channel had seen top anchors leave and ratings plunge.

Behind the scenes, CNN staff were grumbling about an apparent attempt to move the network’s political coverage to a rapidly disappearing center – an effort typified by the widely criticized decision to host a town hall with Donald Trump in May.

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Man in viral 2006 BBC interview mixup says he will sue for royalties

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Guy Goma tells Accidental Celebrities podcast he was not paid for confused appearance on News 24

A man who became a viral sensation after being interviewed on the BBC in a case of mistaken identity 17 years ago has said he plans to sue the broadcaster for a share of the royalties.

Guy Goma went to the BBC for a job interview in 2006 and ended up on air when he was mistaken for an IT expert, Guy Kewney.

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BBC favourites v ITV hopefuls: pundits and presenters fight it out in World Cup screen contest

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The safe hands of Gabby Logan or the incisive analysis of Eni Aluko? When England play Spain in Sunday’s final, it’s time for viewers to choose their channel

Going into this World Cup final, there is one clear favourite: their squad has depth and experience; the line-up has proven quality and leadership; and perhaps most importantly, they have performed on the biggest stages before and come out victorious. We are talking about the BBC, which once again will do head-to-head battle for the nation’s eyeballs with ITV as a subplot to the England-Spain match in Sydney.

The clash, historically, has not gone well for ITV. For the men’s World Cup final last December, nearly 20 million Britons tuned in, with three-quarters (15 million) favouring the BBC. Of course, the BBC has the selling point of no ad breaks and the prestige of being seen as a destination for nationally significant events. But ITV’s coverage so far in this World Cup has been slick and engaging, so can the upstart, packed with young, fresh talent, pull off a shock?

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Lionesses’ semi-final watched by 7.3m – but few viewing events for final

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Councils accused of downplaying women’s football compared with men’s, with scarcity of planned public viewing parties

The Lionesses drew an average of 4.6 million viewers during their World Cup semi-final, yet fans are disappointed that councils have failed to respond to the team’s success by putting on free public viewing parties for the final.

The BBC said a peak audience of 7.3 million tuned in to watch England beat Australia 3-1 on Wednesday, despite the time zone difference resulting in an 11am kick-off time.

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BBC’s Stephen Nolan accused of sending explicit images to colleagues

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Corporation under pressure to respond to claims presenter sent photos of reality star Stephen Bear

The BBC is under pressure to respond to allegations that Stephen Nolan, one of the corporation’s highest-paid presenters, sent sexually explicit images to colleagues and was the subject of a bullying claim.

Political parties in Northern Ireland called on the BBC to provide a full response to the allegations about the region’s most influential and controversial broadcaster.

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BBC presenter Nick Owen announces prostate cancer diagnosis

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The Midlands Today presenter has undergone surgery and plans to return to work for the broadcaster in autumn

Nick Owen has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has undergone surgery, the BBC Midlands Today presenter has announced.

After a period of absence from the programme, the 75-year-old broadcaster spoke on Monday about the impact of the condition on his life since he received the news in April.

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Krishnan Guru-Murthy joins Strictly Come Dancing lineup

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Journalist takes ‘irresistible’ chance to take part in show while still working as Channel 4 newsreader

Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been announced as the fourth celebrity to join this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

The journalist, who is a main presenter on Channel 4 News, joins a lineup that includes Angela Rippon, the actor Amanda Abbington and the Bad Education star Layton Williams.

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Angela Rippon to be oldest Strictly Come Dancing contestant

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Ex-newsreader famous for dancing on 1976 Morecambe and Wise show will be joined by Amanda Abbington and Layton Williams

Angela Rippon is to compete in the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing becoming the oldest competitor on the BBC primetime show at the age of 79.

The actor Amanda Abbington and Bad Education star Layton Williams have also been announced as the first contestants for the 21st series of the dancing competition this autumn.

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Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall

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Two demonstrators removed almost immediately after sounding air horns and throwing confetti on the stage

Two Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted the opening night of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall after running on to the stage, setting off confetti cannon and sounding air horns.

The pair were taken off stage at the west London venue within moments of unfurling their orange banners on Friday evening, according to footage on social media.

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It never rains but it pours as BBC boss hit by yet another storm

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Scandal over male presenter could define Tim Davie’s tenure and set future direction of the corporation

Tim Davie is facing possibly the biggest crisis of his crisis-strewn stint as the BBC’s director general after one of the corporation’s prominent male television presenters was suspended.

How Davie handles the crisis – and whether he survives it – could define his tenure at the helm of the broadcaster and shape the BBC’s future.

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Syria cancels accreditation of two BBC journalists

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British broadcaster says it will continue to provide impartial news after being accused by Bashar al-Assad’s government of politicised coverage

Syria’s information ministry says it has cancelled the accreditation of two local journalists working for the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of “false” and “politicised” coverage.

The accreditations of an unidentified correspondent and a camera operator had been revoked following “subjective and false information and reports” on Syria, the ministry said on its website on Saturday. It described other BBC reports as “politicised”.

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Wealthy may have to pay more for BBC services in future, says former chair

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‘Regressive’ licence fee could be replaced by a broadband tax or a levy based on property value, says Richard Sharp

The former BBC chair Richard Sharp has suggested that wealthier families may have to pay more to access the corporation’s services.

The “regressive” licence fee system could be replaced by a tax on broadband bills or a household levy based on property value, Richard Sharp told the Daily Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics podcast.

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Adam Kay tells of life ‘transformed’ by two babies

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Writer of comic medical memoir This is Going to Hurt reveals surrogacy on BBC’s Desert Island Discs

Adam Kay, the author of This is Going to Hurt, the bestselling “secret diary” of a junior doctor, is now the father of two babies, he has revealed.

Kay, who was portrayed by Ben Whishaw in the Bafta-winning BBC1 adaptation of his comic memoir, said life with his husband, TV producer James Farrell, has been “absolutely transformed for the better” by the arrival through surrogacy of their two children.

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