Ten BBC presenters let go as news channel is overhauled

JANE HILL and Martine Croxall are among 10 BBC presenters to have lost their jobs as the corporation overhauls its rolling news channel.

Ben Brown, Shaun Ley and Geeta Guru-murthy have also been told that their services are no longer required.

The broadcaster is merging the BBC News Channel and BBC World News into one service, with only five anchor roles available. The five chosen presenters have been announced: Matthew Amroliwala, Christian Fraser, Yalda Hakim, Lucy Hockings and Maryam Moshiri. Their title will be “chief presenter” and they are expected to receive significant pay rises.

The broadcaster appears to have chosen presenters who are familiar to international audiences. Hill and Croxall broadcast predominantly to British audiences on the BBC News Channel.

When the merger was announced, 18 presenters were required to audition for the five roles. Three presenters quit ahead of the audition process – Joanna Gosling, David Eades and Tim Willcox.

The 10 presenters who missed out will now have to look for new jobs. A BBC source said it would be “working to identify opportunities” within the corporation, but it is expected that at least some of them will have to find work elsewhere. Guru-murthy tweeted from the BBC studio this morning: “On air now… catch me whilst you can!”

The BBC said: “The five chief presenters announced today were recruited via a competitive interview process in accordance with BBC HR procedures.”

Deborah Turness, the new head of BBC News, said she was “thrilled” to announce the five faces of the channel.

The channel will be anchored from London during the day.