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The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tim Davie insists he is still right person to lead BBC after series of scandals
Tim Davie has insisted he is still the right person to lead the BBC, after a succession of controversies that have led the culture secretary to accuse him of overseeing a 'series of catastrophic failures'. Davie has been under the most intense pressure of his five-year tenure as director general after incidents including the livestreaming of Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury festival, as well as the broadcast of a Gaza documentary that breached the corporation's editorial guidelines. This week, the BBC also admitted opportunities were missed to deal with the behaviour of Gregg Wallace, after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations made against the former MasterChef presenter, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. It has led to criticism from the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, who suggested the corporation was suffering from a failure in leadership. However, Davie insisted there had been consequences for staff responsible for the Glastonbury broadcast and a Gaza documentary that failed to disclose that its child narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Speaking at the launch of the BBC's annual report, Davie said he had already taken action to improve the culture at the BBC after previous high-profile scandals such as the departure of the disgraced presenter Huw Edwards – including the dismissal of staff. In a defence of his performance, Davie said the controversy around Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone had been the most challenging he had dealt with during his tenure. However, he said he was the right person to lead the BBC as it faced an onslaught of competition from streamers and a continued decline in the number of households paying the licence fee. 'I simply think I'm in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way,' he said. 'We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership, and myself, I've been very clear – and I think we have been decisive. 'When you go through tough times, one of the things that I focus on as a leader is there has never been a more important time for public service broadcasting. Gaza has been the most challenging editorial issue I've had to deal with. But the importance of fair, balanced reporting, the need for high-quality homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, has never, ever been greater. 'I believe my leadership and the team I've assembled can really help the BBC thrive in that environment.' Davie said the BBC had 'already seen dismissals' as a result of an action plan drawn up after a series of scandals around conduct, including the Edwards scandal. The former presenter ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Neither Davie nor Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, would name any individuals who had lost their jobs. Davie said action was also being taken against senior figures involved in the Gaza failing and the livetreaming of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. Pascal Robinson-Foster, who goes by the name Bobby Vylan as part of the duo, was shown leading chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. Davie faces another difficult decision over the future of the latest series of MasterChef, which has already been delivered to the BBC and in which Wallace features almost throughout. The decision has become even more difficult after the show's other presenter, John Torode, announced he was the subject of an allegation of using racist language. He denies the incident happened. Davie said MasterChef's producer, Banijay, had to 'follow up' on the allegation and report back to the BBC. He said he had made no decision over the series but was concerned about the effort put in by the amateur chefs involved. 'One of my overwhelming concerns is that we've got all the amateur chefs that gave their heart and soul to this programme,' he said. 'We have to reflect on that, talk to them – and I'm sure Banijay are doing that – consult them, think about the audience, and then make a call. That's what we're going through now.' He said there was a future for the show. 'A great programme that's well loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals,' he said. The BBC's annual report highlighted the strengths and serious challenges the BBC faces as streaming and YouTube continue to split audiences. The BBC is still managing to reach 94% of UK adults every month, while its digital platform iPlayer was the UK's fastest-growing long-form on-demand service last year. However, the number of households paying the BBC licence fee fell for a seventh consecutive year, down 300,000, the report stated.
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
BBC looks at licence fee overhaul as whopping 300,000 fewer Brits sign up for £174.50 a year cost
THE BBC is looking into a licence fee overhaul with hundreds of thousands of households refusing to pay up. The broadcaster's annual report released today says competition from streaming services has created a "moment of real jeopardy for the sector". 1 An estimated 300,000 households have stopped paying. The report revealed 23.8m licences were in force at the end of the year, down from 24.1m in 2023-24. The drop means a loss of about £50m in revenue for the corporation. It comes as BBC Director-General Tim Davie was shown to have been given a £15,000 annual pay rise despite a string of controversies. And departing Match of the Day host Gary Lineker ended his time with the Corporation by topping its pay league for the eighth consecutive year, raking in £1.35million. Key points in the BBC Annual Report Gary Lineker has topped the list of highest earners for another year He was followed by Zoe Ball, who remains second best-paid at the Beeb despite her dramatic pay cut More than two thirds of the broadcaster's top 20 earners received pay rises BBC Breakfast star Naga Munchetty received a boost to her pay, but co-host Charlie Stayt's salary stayed the same Disgraced presenter Huw Edwards did not feature on the list after his exit from the broadcaster Meanwhile the number of people paying for a TV licence fell by around 300,000 last year - almost two per cent in all BBC boss Tim Davie breaks silence on MasterChef future as John Torode asked to quit over 'racist remark' BBC Chair Samir Shah says in the annual report: 'The fight is on, and it is vital we now think very carefully about the kind of media environment we want for the UK.' He added they were searching for 'the best future funding model for the BBC'. Shah said: 'I have already set out some views on this and the board will be saying more over the coming months,' he said. Masterchef meltdown as BBC asked John Torode to RESIGN over 'racist remark' before Gregg Wallace sacking 'But all of us are clear that we want to make sure we protect the BBC as a universal service and help it not just to survive, but thrive, for a generation and more.' Licence fee income increased slightly year on year, totalling £3.8bn in 2024-25. However, the small rise was down to the 6.7% inflationary increase in the fee to £169.50 a year. 'The current collection method remains fair, effective, and good value for money,' the report said. 'As we approach the end of the charter, we will proactively research how we might reform the licence fee to secure the benefits of a well-resourced, universal BBC of scale for the long term.' 'Inappropriate behaviours' Today's report also features a column by Dr Shah in which he references the "profoundly shocking revelations" involving disgraced News At Ten anchor Huw Edwards. He announced in October the Beeb's board had commissioned an independent review into its "workplace culture". It came in the wake of Edwards, as well as "several further cases of inappropriate behaviours and abuses of power", Dr Shah wrote. In his column, he added: "The first thing to say is that the BBC is a wonderful place to work. "Our staff are dedicated, hardworking and treat each other with respect. "However, there are pockets in the organisation where this is not the case. There are still places where powerful individuals - on and off-screen - can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable." It comes after former MasterChef host Wallace launched a scathing attack on the broadcaster and threatened his "next move" yesterday after he was sacked. The one-time greengrocer turned TV personality, 60, was axed after an investigation upheld 45 out of the 83 allegations made against him. The bombshell inquiry, carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin for production company Banijay, unveiled a litany of complaints against him. Most of them involved inappropriate sexual language and humour and a further 10 were made about other people - two of which were substantiated. Davie was also asked today about whether Wallace's co-host John Torode would remain on the show, after the presenter confirmed on Instagram he had a standalone allegation of racist language upheld in the same report. The director-general said: "There has to be follow-up, so the BBC, in some ways, we're quite simple on this, if someone is found to not live up to the values we expect, the independent company, Banijay, in this case, to take action and report back to us on what they have done. "These aren't BBC employees, but we absolutely expect action to be taken, that's the first thing I'd say." 'Get a grip quicker' Last week BBC bosses were told to "get a grip quicker" after the live stream of punk rap duo Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set was left on air despite controversial comments which some interpreted as antisemitic. Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes insisted there is a risk the public lose faith in the corporation if coverage isn't pulled swiftly and investigations are lengthy. The broadcaster had apologised after the band's lead singer chanted 'death, death' to Israeli defence forces during their festival set last month. The regulator also stepped in to launch a probe into Beeb doc Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which faced backlash when it was revealed the narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The BBC previously admitted to breaching their own editorial guidelines by failing to disclose this to viewers. An independent probe into the documentary was commissioned by the broadcaster earlier this year. The broadcaster spent £400,000 of licence payers' cash making the doc, which was branded a propaganda show for the evil terror group Hamas, The Sun revealed in February. In a shocking revelation, the main narrator of the heart-tugging, supposedly factual exposé - 13-year-old Abdulla Eliyazour - was the son of senior Hamas official Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tim Davie insists he is still right person to lead BBC after series of scandals
Tim Davie has insisted he is still the right person to lead the BBC, after a succession of issues that has seen the culture secretary accuse him of overseeing a 'series of catastrophic failures'. The BBC's director general has been under the most intense pressure of his five-year tenure after incidents including the livestreaming of Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury festival, as well as a Gaza documentary that breached the broadcaster's editorial guidelines. This week, the BBC also admitted opportunities were missed to deal with the behaviour of Gregg Wallace, after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations made against the former MasterChef presenter, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. It has led to criticism from the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, who suggested the corporation was suffering from a failure in leadership. However, Davie insisted there had been consequences for staff responsible for the Glastonbury broadcast and a Gaza documentary that failed to disclose its child narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Speaking at the launch of the BBC's annual report, Davie said he had already taken action to improve the culture at the BBC after previous high-profile scandals such as the departure of disgraced presenter Huw Edwards – including the dismissal of staff. In a defence of his performance, Davie said the controversy around Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone had been the most challenging he had dealt with during his tenure. However, he said he was the right person to lead the BBC as it faced an onslaught of competition from streamers and a continued decline in the number of households paying the licence fee. 'I simply think I'm in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way,' he said. 'We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership, and myself, I've been very clear – and I think we have been decisive. 'When you go through tough times, one of the things that I focus on as a leader is there has never been a more important time for public service broadcasting. Gaza has been the most challenging editorial issue I've had to deal with. But the importance of fair, balanced reporting, the need for high-quality homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, has never, ever been greater. 'I believe my leadership and the team I've assembled can really help the BBC thrive in that environment.' Davie said the BBC had 'already seen dismissals' as a result of an action plan drawn up after a series of scandals around conduct, including the Edwards scandal. The former presenter ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Neither Davie, nor Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, would name any individuals who had lost their jobs. Davie said action was also being taken against senior figures involved in the Gaza failing and the live streaming of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. Pascal Robinson-Foster, who goes by the name Bobby Vylan as part of the duo, was shown leading chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. Davie faces another difficult decision over the future of the latest series of MasterChef, which has already been delivered to the BBC and in which Wallace features almost throughout. The decision has become even more difficult after the show's other presenter, John Torode, announced that he was the subject of a substantiated allegation of using racist language. He denies the incident happened. Davie said MasterChef's producer, Banijay, had to 'follow up' on the allegation and report back to the BBC. He said he had made no decision over the series, but was concerned about the effort put in by the amateur chefs involved. 'One of my overwhelming concerns is that we've got all the amateur chefs that gave their heart and soul to this programme,' he said. 'We have to reflect on that, talk to them – and I'm sure Banijay are doing that – consult them, think about the audience, and then make a call. That's what we're going through now.' He said there was a future for the show. 'A great programme that's well loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals,' he said. The BBC's annual report highlighted the strengths and serious challenges the BBC faces as streaming and YouTube continue to split audiences. The BBC is still managing to reach 94% of UK adults every month, while its digital platform iPlayer was the UK's fastest-growing long-form on-demand service last year. However, the number of households paying the BBC licence fee fell for the seventh consecutive year, down 300,000, the report stated.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC stars' salaries revealed: Gary Lineker top list again on £1.35m followed by Zoe Ball - as annual report recognises 'appalling Huw Edwards revelations'
Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball have topped the BBC rich list again this year, a new report shows today — as the corporation acknowledged 'challenges' with its workplace culture. Match of the Day host Lineker left his job in May after being accused of posting an antisemitic trope on social media. The 64-year-old's £1.35 million salary made him the Beeb's highest-paid star over the last year, according to the BBC's annual report for 2024/25. Radio 2 host Zoe Ball is the highest-paid woman at the corporation on £519,000, despite working part-time. She left her full-time position as the station's breakfast show host in December. Her replacement Scott Mills is on £359,999. Meanwhile, it is the first time disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards, previously the highest-paid newsreader, has not appeared on the list. He left the BBC last year after being convicted for possessing indecent images of children. Bosses have since tried to claw back money he made between the date of his arrest and when he stepped down, with little success. Director-general Tim Davie wrote: 'As well as transforming our organisation, we continue to work hard to transform our culture. 'This year brought major challenges in the form of the appalling Huw Edwards revelations along with further examples of truly unacceptable behaviours coming to light. 'An independent review into the BBC's workplace culture produced a series of recommendations which we accepted in full. 'We have since rolled out a comprehensive set of actions which directly respond to the challenge of these findings and kicked off a two-year programme of work to deliver real change in our workplace culture.' Mr Davie confirmed there have been dismissals for bad behaviour since the action plan was launched in April. He added he has a 'vision' of a BBC culture that is 'kind, inclusive, safe and everyone feels inspired and enabled to do their best work'. Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC, said there are 'pockets in the organisation' where bad behaviour festers. 'There are still places where powerful individuals on and off-screen can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable,' he said. He added the Beeb must act 'with speed, be bolder and braver in our actions, and dial up our risk appetite in taking visible steps to stamp out unacceptable and inappropriate behaviours'.
The Sun
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
BBC's repeated failures to curb abuse and bias have shattered trust and left many feeling betrayed
Beeb in crisis HOW many more times will the BBC fail to deal with a powerful star bent on abusing his wealth and position? And how much more anti-Israel bias must viewers endure? 1 Two reports yesterday into very different areas of the corporation revealed an organisation in crisis. Producers in charge of MasterChef indulged Gregg Wallace's sleazy behaviour for years while ignoring at least six direct complaints. Weakly, they now admit they should have done more to stop him. Just as the BBC didn't take its chances to stop Huw Edwards, Jimmy Savile and others. Despite those scandals, the Wallace report reveals little has been done since to curb the culture of misogyny among its so-called male 'talent'. Likewise, no one has dealt with the decades-long anti-Israel bias within BBC News. Far from making any proper checks into its broadcast of a flawed documentary on Gaza, a second report says that BBC execs breached accuracy guidelines over a film featuring a Palestinian child narrator. Viewers, of course, weren't told he was the son of a Hamas terrorist. Isn't it likely that there was no proper editorial control of the film by bosses in BBC News because of institutional blindness? There is a repeating pattern here — from misreporting rocket attacks on Gazan hospitals to broadcasting race hate rants at Glastonbury. And it will leave many British Jews feeling let down. Meanwhile, the BBC — the original virtue-signalling empire of left-wing woke ideology — now finds itself serially accused over sexism, racism and antisemitism. Is anyone in Government willing to tackle these repeated failures at our state-funded national broadcaster? Trump card THERE will be immense relief in Kyiv — and across Europe — at Donald Trump's military support for Ukraine. The President appears to have grown tired — in his words — of Vladimir Putin's 'bull****'. And there are those in the White House who believe Russia's economy is close to collapse. Now might be the time to take advantage of any weakening of the tyrant's grip on power. Arming Ukraine via deals with European countries is a breakthrough after months of US indifference. Slapping 100 per cent tariffs on Moscow for 50 days until it agrees to a peace deal may also do more to bring Putin to the table than any number of Patriot missiles.
