The cuts are a part of the channel's latest cost-cutting measures.
The BBC’s long-running international interview show HARDtalk will come to an end after 30 years as part of a 4% cut in the BBC News budget. Tech show Click and the Asian Network’s bespoke news service will also be axed as part of a £24m cost-cutting drive.
The closures are part of a broader BBC plan to cut 500 jobs across the corporation by March 2026 in order to create a total of £700m in annual savings relative to 2022.
Staff were advised of the plans by an email from BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness. She said the proposals were equivalent to 4% of the current budget. The email also stated that 40% of the necessary savings would come from “non-staff measures” that included reductions to spend on contracts, suppliers, distribution and physical buildings.
Commenting on the on HARDtalk , Turness’ email said the programme would come to an end “as we focus on continuous live and breaking output on our News Channel, and do more to use and promote the high impact interviews and important conversations that are happening every day across our platforms”.
