London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

BBC to move key jobs and programmes out of London

BBC to move key jobs and programmes out of London

The BBC is to move some of its key departments and staff outside London to make the corporation more reflective of the UK as a whole.

It said its plans represent a "top-to-bottom change" and its biggest transformation in decades.

Entire departments and news divisions will be moved to Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Glasgow and Salford.

The BBC's 22,000 employees, many of whom are currently working from home, were briefed on the plans on Thursday.

The plans include:

* A new version of BBC One tailored for audiences in Yorkshire, the North West and the North East of England.

* Two new soap-style network drama series - one from the North of England and another from one of the Nations - produced over the next three years.

The BBC has a commitment to commission and produce "a clear majority" of TV programmes across the UK and not in London

"Our mission must be to deliver for the whole of the UK and ensure every household gets value from the BBC," said director general Tim Davie.

"These plans will get us closer to audiences, create jobs and investment, and develop and nurture new talent."

Other changes to the corporation will include:

*  News and current affairs programmes like BBC Two's Newsnight being presented from different UK bases through the year.

*  Radio 4's flagship Today programme to be co-presented from outside London for at least 100 episodes a year.

*  Key daytime strands on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Radio 2 will be moved from London and made across the UK.

*  Radio 3 will be rooted in Salford, along with the majority of 6 Music.

*  Radio 1's Newsbeat team will relocate to Birmingham, which will also be the base for the Asian Network.

*  BBC News's Climate and Science team will move to Cardiff, while the Technology team will shift to Glasgow. The Learning and Identity News team will go to Leeds.

*  A new generation of 100 new reporters to be based in towns and areas that have never had a regional TV presence.

*  The BBC Concert Orchestra and some Proms to leave London, plus a music events calendar more rooted across the UK.

Mr Davie said the BBC had been "an essential part of the UK's culture, democracy and creativity for almost a century" and had faced some of its "toughest moments" over the last year.

"Now, as we look to the future, we must play our part in supporting social and economic recovery; rebuilding the creative sector and telling the stories that need to be heard from all corners of the UK."

The BBC newsroom is based in New Broadcasting House, London
Plans set out in detail in the BBC's 13-page Across the UK document include:

*  A commitment to commission and produce "a clear majority" of TV programmes across the UK and not in London.

*  A commitment to locate 50% of the money spent on network radio and music outside London by 2028.

*  The moving of major parts of BBC News to locations across the UK.

*  More investment in BBC local reporting and apprenticeships.

*  An upgrade of the BBC's Belfast headquarters.

In an address to staff on Thursday morning, Mr Davie said the plans would make the BBC "a genuinely UK-wide organisation" and "a post-Covid success story admired worldwide".

"People must feel we are closer to them," he said. "This shift will create a much more distributed model that moves not just people, but power and decision-making to the UK's Nations and regions.

"Taken together, our proposals mean the BBC will cumulatively spend at least an extra £700m outside London by 2027/28."

'Bang for their buck'


Broadcasting trade union Bectu said it was "good to see the BBC wanting to build on its strong local offering and prioritise getting closer to communities".

But its "immediate concern" was how the plans would affect is members, adding "the devil will be in the detail".

It said it would examine the proposals closely to ensure "workers are properly supported through these changes and that the need for redundancies is minimised".

MP Julian Knight, chairman of the DCMS committee, said it welcomed the BBC's decision to "rebalance" and "give licence fee payers greater bang for their buck".

He expressed caution over the financial implications, however, saying he hoped the BBC would not repeat "some of the costly mistakes made by the BBC in its previous move to Salford".

'Radical shift'


When Mr Davie was named the BBC's new director general last June, he said the BBC's mission had "never been more relevant, important or necessary".

"Looking forward, we will need to accelerate change so that we serve all our audiences in this fast-moving world," he said.

When he took over the job later in the year, he said there had to be "a radical shift" in the BBC's focus to ensure everyone got value from the licence fee.

"If current trends continue, we will not feel indispensable enough to all our audience," he said. "We must evolve to protect what we cherish."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×