Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker has said in a “very sad announcement” that he is quitting both of his BBC music programmes because of ill health.
Walker, who has been a broadcaster for 58 years, will step down towards the end of this month from his Sunday afternoon show Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show on Friday nights.
The presenter has pulmonary fibrosis which means the lungs become scarred and breathing is increasingly difficult.
Speaking earlier this year, Walker said his condition was “terminal” and getting “progressively worse”.
Image: Walker at Radio 2 in 2004. Pic: PA
In a message live on air on Sunday during the Sounds Of The 70s, the 79-year-old star read out a letter from a listener whose father had enjoyed the show, but had died in 2022 due to the same condition.
The Birmingham-born host then told his listeners: “Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement.
“The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult… so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years.
“And so I’ll be doing my last Sounds Of The 70s on October 27, so I’ll make the last three shows as good as I possibly can.”
The broadcaster started his radio career in 1966 at offshore pirate station Swinging Radio England, before moving to Radio Caroline, where he hosted the night-time show.
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When the station shut he joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976, when he moved to San Francisco to record a weekly show which was broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.
He went back to the BBC in the early 1980s where he has remained ever since.
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Walker’s last episode of The Rock Show will air on 25 October and his final episode of Sounds Of The 70s will air on 27 October.
He will be replaced on the Sounds Of The 70s by Bob Harris.
And Shaun Keaveny will become the new presenter of The Rock Show.
Laura Kuenssberg has explained more about why a planned BBC interview with Boris Johnson could not go ahead – and revealed the “brighter side” after she said she accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes.
In her weekly newsletter, Kuenssberg, who presents the broadcaster’s Sunday politics show, addressed her recent “embarrassing mistake”, saying it was sad and frustrating that the sit-down chat with Mr Johnson – who she referred to as “one of the most consequential politicians of our time” – could not happen.
She said when preparing for an interview, she works with a “tiny group” of producers to figure out what the most important subjects of the conversation might be and then imagines how an interviewee might reply.
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“Doing the homework is vital, even if it’s a subject you already know a lot about – especially with a politician like Johnson, who is not always fond of answering questions,” Kuenssberg wrote.
She added that she regularly bins a lot of prepped questions but would “never, ever, tell the politician or any guest” them ahead of time.
Watch Sky News interview with Boris Johnson throughout the day on Tuesday 8 October
Image: Johnson during a speech on the general election campaign trail in July. Pic: PA
“If they knew what was coming, they could prepare all their answers, and it would be a totally artificial exercise,” she said.
“Nor could we have changed our question subjects. If I hadn’t asked about Brexit, COVID, partygate, his resignation or his relationship with the truth, we simply wouldn’t have been doing our job.
“So, sadly and frustratingly, we just couldn’t go ahead.”
The interview by the BBC was set to be the first of a media round for the former prime minister to publicise his new book, Unleashed, which is released on 10 October.
Image: Copies of Boris Johnson’s latest memoir. Pic: PA
It had been heavily promoted by the broadcaster for the past fortnight, but the BBC’s press team said sharing of the notes now makes the conversation “untenable”.
Finding the “brighter side” in what Kuenssberg referred to on Wednesday as an “embarrassing” error, she said other people had been in touch to share their own gaffes.
Kuenssberg said in one example, “a former government adviser messaged what she thought was her colleague, complaining that the cabinet minister she worked for was in ‘a right grump’. Except, unfortunately, she sent it to, yes, the actual cabinet minister”.
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Another example Kuenssberg gave is said to have included a former prime minister of another country accidentally being sent an email in which they were called a “very bad word”. The parliamentary staffer in question said the prime minister then read the email during PMQs.
BBC presenter Lauren Laverne has revealed she is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The star, 46, who presents Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 and has been a regular DJ on BBC channels for many years, thanked her doctors and family as she explained what had happened in a post on Instagram.
Sharing the news while in hospital, she wrote: “I recently had a cancer diagnosis. It was (thank God) caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test and I am expected to make a full recovery.
“I’m in hospital at the moment and wanted to take this moment to say thank you: Firstly to medical teams who have got me this far with incredible skill and kindness.
“To my family and friends who have been absolutely extraordinary every step of the way – I am so very grateful and love you so much.
“And of course thank you to my colleagues…. for their support and for giving me the time off that I need to get better.”
Laverne also told her 250,000 followers that she wanted to encourage others to keep on top of tests and medical appointments.
“If you’re avoiding a test or putting off an appointment to get yourself checked out please, please do it today,” she wrote. “Half of us will get cancer at some point, and if you do, finding out asap is everything.”
The presenter finished her post by saying: “It’s usually my job to bring the good vibes on air but any you have to spare are very much welcome here. Sending loads of love to anyone in a similar boat, or who has made it back to shore.”
She did not give details of what type of cancer she is being treated for.
Laverne is the host of BBC Radio 6 Music’s breakfast show and also presents BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, after taking over from Kirsty Young in 2018. She is also one of the presenters for the broadcaster’s coverage of the Glastonbury festival.
She is best know for her TV and radio presenting but rose to fame first as a musician, as lead singer for pop-punk band Kenickie in the 1990s, and earlier this year hosted the Ivor Novello Awards.
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The culture secretary has said former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards should return his salary after he admitted accessing indecent images of children.
Edwards was paid £200,000 after he was arrested in November while he was suspended by the broadcaster up until he resigned in April on medical advice.
On Wednesday, the 62-year-old BBC veteran pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News at the Paris Olympics on Friday: “I think he ought to return his salary.
“I think having been arrested on such serious charges all the way back in November, to continue to receive that salary all the way through until he resigned is wrong and it’s not a good use of taxpayers’ money.
“I think most people in the country will agree with that but whether he does that or not is up to him.”
Image: Lisa Nandy speaks to Sky News
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Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, said on Thursday the corporation was aware Edwards had been arrested over the most serious category of indecent images of children when it happened.
He faced questions over why Edwards was not sacked then and why he continued to receive his salary – the highest of anybody at BBC News.
Mr Davie had an urgent meeting with Ms Nandy on Thursday to address his handling of the case.
Ms Nandy said to Sky News: “My concern is to make sure that not only are we getting the decision right in this case but we’re futureproofing the BBC so that when people come forward with concerns, when decisions like this have to be made we’re open and transparent and we’re fair and we use taxpayers money appropriately.
“This is something that matters to the director general of the BBC and it’s my job to make sure we get there.”
Last month it emerged Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 before he resigned.
Mr Davie suggested the corporation is considering legal action to recover some of the payments it made to Edwards.
When asked about the disgraced newsreader keeping his pension, Mr Davie the money would be “very difficult to claw back, nigh on impossible”.
He told the BBC on Thursday: “When it comes to pay, again, (it’s) legally challenging (to recover), but we’ll look at all options.”
Mr Davie said the BBC did not sack Edwards after they were told of his arrest because the police said: ‘Look, we need to do our work in total confidence, we’ve arrested (Edwards) please keep this confidential.”
He added: “And at that point, I think the principle is clear in my mind, and I say we thought long and hard about this, this wasn’t a knee-jerk decision.
“And it was difficult but when the police, if you think about this in terms of precedent, people do get arrested and then we’ve had situations where (there were) no charges and there’s nothing there to be followed up on.
“In this case, we knew it was serious. We knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences.”
He added that if Edwards had been charged before he resigned in April, he would have been fired “immediately”.
What images did Edwards have on his phone?
Following his guilty pleas, it emerged Edwards was arrested after officers seized the phone of a paedophile named Alex Williams in an “entirely unrelated investigation”.
When officers from South Wales Police looked at the device they found Williams had sent 41 indecent images to Edwards in a WhatsApp chat between December 2020 and August 2021.
Of those, seven were classified as category A, while 12 were category B and 22 were category C.
The estimated age of most of the children in the category A images was between 13 and 15, a court heard.
However, prosecutors said there were also moving images of young children, possibly aged seven and nine years old among the category A images.
As a result of the original investigation, Williams was convicted of seven offences related to indecent images and prohibited images of children. He was given a suspended 12-month jail sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on 15 March.
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Strictly Come Dancing star Graziano Di Prima has confirmed he is leaving the show amid reports of alleged misconduct.
The Italian dancer, 30, said in a statement that he “deeply regrets” the events that led to his exit.
It comes after reports Di Prima had been let go from the BBC One primetime show following allegations of gross misconduct towards one of his former dance partners.
He wrote in a statement posted on Instagram: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
“Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.
“While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
“I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future. I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.”
Di Prima joined Strictly in 2018 and his celebrity partners have included radio DJ Vick Hope, Loose Women panellist Judi Love, TV presenter Kym Marsh, and Love Island star Zara McDermott.
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A BBC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.
“While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.”
Image: Giovanni Pernice. Pic: PA
It comes after the broadcaster confirmed Giovanni Pernice would not be part of the line-up of professionals amid allegations about his teaching methods.
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The Italian dancer, 33, has previously dismissed the allegations he displayed “abusive or threatening behaviour” as “simply false” and said he is “cooperating fully” with an ongoing BBC investigation.
Strictly is set to mark its 20th year in the upcoming series, with professionals including 2023 winner Vito Coppola and Amy Dowden, who had missed last year’s series after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Aljaz Skorjanec, who won in his debut year in 2013 with model Abbey Clancy, is also set to return to the show following a two-year break.
Giovanni Pernice will not return for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC has confirmed.
The 33-year-old Italian dancer has performed on the BBC 1 primetime show for nine years.
He was not announced as part of the show’s line-up of professional dancers for 2024 following reports he would not compete.
Pernice has rejected allegations he displayed “abusive or threatening behaviour” while working as a professional dancer on the show, following complaints about his conduct.
A legal firm acting on behalf of the complainants said the broadcaster is “evidence gathering” – but the BBC has not confirmed any probe has been launched.
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The newspaper veteran David Montgomery will on Thursday revive his long-held criticism of the BBC’s encroachment into local news provision when he accuses it of “predatory behaviour” which harms commercial rivals.
Sky News has learnt that Mr Montgomery will use the foreword to the annual results announcement of National World, the London-listed company he runs, to launch a scathing attack on the corporation.
Mr Montgomery, whose company owns titles including The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post, has been a staunch critic of the BBC’s presence in online news, saying in 2019 that its remit needed to be redefined.
On Thursday, he will say that National World has been at “the forefront of the campaigning against predatory behaviour by the BBC which uses taxpayer funds to compete online, threatening local independent journalism”.
“It is remarkable that the BBC, financed by a compulsory tax, is permitted to enforce its monopoly in the news sector month after month,” he will add in remarks which have been obtained by Sky News.
“In January 2024, 3.1 billion page views for BBC News dwarfed the combined total of the UK’s 28 leading independent news sites, including MailOnline, The Sun and, of course, National World.
“In no other sector would such an unfair market be tolerated by regulators.”
Mr Montgomery has been pushing for the News Media Association, an industry body, to take a more robust position against the BBC.
Sky News is among the commercially-owned channels which competes with the BBC in the provision of news across different media platforms.
National World, which has a market value of about £38m, was among the prospective bidders for The Daily Telegraph, holding talks with financial backers before an ill-fated deal was struck with the Abu Dhabi-funded investment vehicle RedBird IMI.
Mr Montgomery wants his company to transition from being a media business with a specific expertise in news journalism, to becoming a broader content provider across media platforms.
The BBC has faced further criticism this week from commercial groups over its plans to broadcast advertising as part of its radio content.
On Wednesday, Tim Davie, the BBC director-general was asked about the organisation’s news strategy, rebutting the suggestion that the Corporation was responsible for the declining commercial provision of local news.
Image: Tim Davie. Pic:PA
“I think some of these things are structural, so if you look at the decline of local print… look at the trend lines there,” he told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
“So I think this is not the BBC causing this issue. And actually, if you look at the amount of journalism we’re producing, it’s often very, very different or in a different level of coverage to others out in the market.”
Ofcom’s oversight of the BBC will be extended under reforms aimed at bolstering confidence in the impartiality of the corporation.
The communications watchdog, which regulates TV, radio and video-on-demand services, will be given new powers to monitor the BBC’s online public services, including the BBC news website and YouTube channel.
The measure was put forward in the first mid-term review of the 11-year BBC Royal Charter, which forms the constitutional basis of the broadcaster and makes clear its public purpose.
The review aims to examine and assess how effectively the governance and regulation arrangements of the BBC are performing at the halfway point of the current framework, which began in 2017.
The government said its recommendations are expected to be implemented “in a timely manner”, following talks with the BBC and Ofcom.
Currently Ofcom regulates the BBC’s TV, radio and on-demand output, but not other elements of its online content.
The government said oversight should be extended to digital services to enable the regulator to hold the BBC to account “in a more robust way”.
This could see Ofcom granted powers to take enforcement action over BBC News website articles it does not believe meet relevant broadcast standards.
If a broadcaster breaks the rules repeatedly, or in a way considered to be serious, Ofcom has the legal powers to impose sanctions on them, such as a fine.
The watchdog has also been given a new legally binding responsibility to review more of the BBC’s complaints decisions.
Alongside this is a legal responsibility for the BBC Board to actively oversee its own complaints process.
‘Impartiality an ongoing issue for audiences’
The board previously had a responsibility to oversee only the establishment of a complaints handling process but the change will give it the “responsibility to oversee how that process is working in practice”, the government said.
The mid-term review concluded that the current complaint’s process, called BBC First, does allow licence fee payers to hold the corporation directly accountable, but said impartiality continues to be an ongoing issue for audiences.
The changes are designed to “enhance the independent scrutiny of its complaints handling and improve the experience of viewers who make a complaint”.
Image: The BBC overhauled its social media guidelines for presenters after its row with Gary Lineker
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The review also recommends that the BBC considers how diversity and opinion could be better represented.
The government said some audience groups, including disabled viewers and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, feel underrepresented by the corporation.
Image: Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer says the reforms will improve accountability and public confidence
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC “needs to adapt” to the reforms or risk “losing the trust of the audience it relies on”.
“The government wants to see a strong, independent BBC that can thrive in the years to come as a major contributor to the nation’s successful creative industries,” she said.
“Following constructive conservations with the BBC and Ofcom, we have recommended reforms that I believe will improve accountability while boosting public confidence in the BBC’s ability to be impartial and respond to concerns raised by licence fee payers.”
A spokesperson for the BBC said “no other organisation takes its commitment to impartiality more seriously”.
They added: “During discussions over the mid-term review, we proposed and implemented a number of reforms, including strengthening our complaints procedures, which now form part of the conclusions. We are pleased the government has fully taken our proposals onboard. We remain committed to continuous improvement to ensure we deliver for all licence fee payers.”
The impartiality of the BBC came under increased scrutiny last year following a number of high-profile incidents.
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MP challenges Gary Lineker to stand in Stoke seat amid impartiality row
There was outrage when Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker was briefly taken off air following a tweet about the government’s asylum policy, forcing the company to change its social media guidelines.
The company also faced an impartiality row after it emerged former chairman Richard Sharp, who has since resigned, broke the rules by failing to disclose the role he played in helping Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan.
The BBC is selling its Elstree Centre – including the famous EastEnders set – as it continues to find ways to make millions in savings.
The BBC has exchanged contracts with Axa Investment Managers for the 16-acre site in Hertfordshire, which includes seven stages as well as workshop, office and post-production facilities.
However, the corporation has agreed to lease part of the studio campus for 25 years – meaning EastEnders will still be filmed on site.
BBC Elstree Centre was the first of several similar complexes in the area, which are collectively known as Elstree Studios.
The value of the sale has not been revealed, but the broadcaster is currently looking to find £500m in annual savings. It was reportedly looking for £70m, according to a BBC news report.
Alan Dickson, the BBC’s chief financial officer, said the sale was part of an ongoing review of the BBC’s property portfolio in order to provide the best value for licence fee payers.
“As part of the sale, the EastEnders site has been secured on a long-term lease and Elstree will continue to be the home of Albert Square,” he said.
“Moreover, AXA’s investment ensures the Elstree site remains a fantastic asset for the UK’s creative economy.”
The sale comes two years after the BBC finished rebuilding the EastEnders set at a cost of £87m, which was £27m over budget.
Last summer, Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer bought the corporation’s famous Maida Vale Studios in London in a partnership with three film producers.
And in November it was announced that Newsnight was being cut by 30 minutes and losing more than half its staff.
Image: Maida Vale Studios was bought by Hans Zimmer in 2023
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BBC Elstree Centre was originally created as a film studio for Neptune Films in 1914 and converted for use as a television studio in 1960.
It was sold to the BBC in 1984 as the production base and set to launch EastEnders and has previously been used for shows including Children In Need, Casualty, and Top Of The Pops.
The wider Elstree Studios is one of the world’s most famous film and television production campuses in the world, where blockbusters such as Star Wars have been filmed, and is not included in the sale.
John O’Driscoll, global co-head of real estate at AXA IM Alts, said the company aimed to continue the legacy of producing “celebrated films and television series”.
“With the signing of BBC Elstree Centre we will be acquiring one of the oldest working TV and film studios in the UK, with a history dating back almost 110 years,” he said.
“The structure of the transaction allows the BBC to continue its production on the site for at least another 25 years, while providing us with the opportunity to invest in the site to create new world-class studios.”
Mr O’Driscoll said the move was “underpinned by increasing demand from an ever-broader array of production houses, content creators and broadcasters”, coupled with a limited supply of high-quality modern film and production space, “particularly in and around London where new construction is hindered by a lack of available land in the right locations”.
Gary Lineker’s social media post about Defence Secretary Grant Shapps appears to breach BBC guidelines, the government’s candidate to be the corporation’s next chairman has said.
Speaking to MPs at a pre-appointment hearing, Samir Shah said he did not think it was “helpful” that the presenter had signed a letter calling for the end of the government’s Rwanda scheme.
He said: “As far as I’m aware, the signing of the letter did not breach those guidelines.
“But the more recent tweet in which he identifies a politician does, on the face of it, seem to breach those guidelines.
“I’m not sure how egregious it is but I imagine the BBC is looking into it and considering its response.”
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