The award-winning Victoria Derbyshire Show is to be axed by the
BBC as part of a round of cuts to save £80m at the corporation
The current affairs weekday series, hosted by journalist Victoria Derbyshire, 51, first began in 2015, and is reportedly ending because costs are too high.
BBC media editor Amol Rajan reported the news via Twitter.Rajan wrote: “The Victoria Derbyshire Show is coming off air. I understand @BBCNews is committed to Victoria + the (award-winning) journalism of the show.
“Cost of doing it on linear channel when savings are needed deemed too high. BBC declined to comment ahead of an announcement next week.”An organisation that values original journalism and underserved audiences should not be doing this.It’s madness.#VictoriaLIVE consistently breaks huge stories, has won countless awards including a BAFTA and has broken new ground. Plus it has an outstanding team and presenter. https://t.co/N3vkLpYBzg— Louisa Compton (@louisa_compton) January 22, 2020He continued: “The show won awards at the RTS and from Bafta. Victoria nominated for Best Presenter four years in a row – and won once. Digital impact was huge. Show was designed to reach audiences the BBC struggles to connect with, and it did – online.”
Louisa Compton, who edited the Victoria Derbyshire Show when it was first launched, said the decision was “madness”.
MP Tracy Brabin was among those to comment, tweeting that she would be “looking into why @VictoriaLIVE is being taken off air”.
She said: “Rigorous campaigning & commitment to public having their say made it pretty unique in daytime TV.
“Victoria herself was sharp & approachable with a personal journey that made her relatable.”
Piers Morgan said: “Very strange decision. It was an excellent programme & @vicderbyshire is a superb journalist.
“Surely the BBC isn’t now finding the cash to pay for its gender pay fiasco by cancelling other women’s shows?”
The BBC declined to comment.
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