The BBC’s appointment of Chair Richard Sharp “should not stand” and the process was “fatally flawed,” according to former Director General John Birt, who threw his weight behind the corporation over the Gary Lineker scandal.
14.03.2023 - 18:11 / deadline.com
UPDATE: BBC employees will stage their biggest strike in 13 years on Wednesday after eleventh-hour talks with management failed. The walkout will force coverage of the UK government’s Budget off air and heap more embarrassment on Director-General Tim Davie, who has apologized for scheduling chaos over the Gary Lineker saga.
PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has scrambled to avoid further disruption to its schedules after a walkout over Gary Lineker’s suspension canceled Premier League output.
The British broadcaster has been involved in last-ditch talks with trade union leaders to halt the biggest staff strike since 2010 over changes to local programming in England.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) will meet at 10AM today to decide whether the BBC has conceded enough ground to call off industrial action that will derail coverage of the UK government’s Budget.
The precise outcome of the talks with the BBC is unclear, but one source said there had been “nowhere near enough” movement from the broadcaster, suggesting a strike is likely to go ahead.
A BBC source said: “We’re keen to end the dispute and avoid disruption for audiences.”
Another day of content disruption could be embarrassing for the BBC following the Lineker debacle, during which sports presenters staged a boycott.
Tim Davie, the BBC Director-General, repeatedly apologized for a significantly truncated Match of the Day, the flagship Premier League highlights show, and canceled live radio football coverage.
Reflecting on the most fraught week of his tenure, he said yesterday: “Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences.”
Some 83% of NUJ members voted in favor of a strike in a
The BBC’s appointment of Chair Richard Sharp “should not stand” and the process was “fatally flawed,” according to former Director General John Birt, who threw his weight behind the corporation over the Gary Lineker scandal.
Piers Morgan resigned from Good Morning Britain after refusing to apologise for not believing Meghan Markle's account of life in the Royal Family. However, the 57-year-old broadcaster has now questioned why he didn't receive the same "solidarity" that Gary Lineker recently did for his own situation. One source claimed that Piers' comment was a reference to his former GMB colleague Susanna Reid, who returned to the airwaves immediately after the episode, without making a stand for Piers.
Gary Lineker will return to our TV screens later following a row which left the BBC's sport coverage in disarray. The former England international had to 'step back' from off his Match of the Day presenting duties after taking to social media to hit out at Government plans to stop small boats making the journey to Britain.
All eyes have been trained on Gary Lineker’s Twitter account since the Match of the Day host struck a deal with BBC management to return to work this weekend, and he has not disappointed.
Kate Garraway hasn't had a break since husband Derek Draper was left fighting for his life after contracting Covid back in March 2020. She had recently planned a "special" family break in Paris with Derek and her children, Billy and Darcy. Sadly, on the morning of the trip, it was apparent that Derek was too unwell to join them.
“Ambiguity” around social media guidelines was to blame for the BBC Gary Lineker scandal, according to Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes, who was challenged on the “creeping politicization” of UK TV news during a committee hearing this morning.
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has scrambled to avoid further disruption to its schedules after a walkout over Gary Lineker’s suspension canceled Premier League output.
England footballing legend John Barnes says the conversation around the Home Office's controversial illegal migrant policy is being "side-tracked" by the Gary Lineker and BBC row. Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, the former Liverpool player said headlines over the weekend could result in the message that Lineker was trying to get across, and the reason he spoke out in the first place, being 'lost'.
Self Esteem showed her support for Gary Lineker last night (March 11) by wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Free Gary” at her Eventim Apollo show in London.The singer-songwriter – real name is Rebecca Lucy Taylor – shared on Twitter an image of herself sporting the tee at the show, writing “Solidarity” and tagging the BBC Sport presenter.She has followed in the footsteps of Fatboy Slim, who on Friday (March 10) displayed Lineker’s face on a video screen behind him. The move was met by huge cheers from fans who were watching the DJ perform in Manchester.It comes amid a row between the BBC and Lineker after the latter on Tuesday (March 7) called the government’s controversial plan to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum an “immeasurably cruel”.
The UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has found his meeting with French premier Emmanuel Macron this weekend totally overshadowed in the British media. On Saturday evening, Sunak’s office released a statement from the PM, saying:
An unprecedented Match of the Day without presenters, pundits or commentators was watched by 500,000 more people last night than the previous week.
An emergency communication tool dubbed the 'armageddon alert' system will reportedly be rolled out in the next few weeks. Millions of people will hear a loud alarm from their mobile phones as the system is tested, the Mirror reports.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken out after Gary Lineker was dropped from his role on Match of the Day. The row broke out earlier this week after the former England striker took to social media to hit out at Government plans to stop small boats making the journey to Britain.
Piers Morgan has blasted the BBC's decision to pull Gary Lineker off Match of The Day. The corporation said the presenter's criticism of the government's Migration Bill was a "breach of our guidelines". The sports pundit will now be stepping back from his presenting duties until a "clear position" on his social media use is agreed upon.
More than 10 of the BBC’s highest-profile sports stars have staged an unprecedented walkout over the British broadcaster’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker. Below is a list of those who have walked out, with links to tweets explaining their reasons for joining the protest.
The BBC’s Premier League output is in freefall as mutinous presenters and pundits stage a protest over the suspension of Gary Lineker.
Fatboy Slim has thrown his support behind Gary Lineker after the footballer turned pundit was asked to “step back” from his presenting duties at the BBC.Earlier this week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman outlined the government’s controversial plan to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum.Lineker responded, calling it an “immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. Braverman then hit out at Lineker, saying that his comments “diminished the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust.There is no huge influx.
The BBC comms department must be reeling this morning after a nightmare 48 hours which saw it firefighting battles on several fronts.
The BBC’s popular Premier League highlights show Match of the Day will air without a studio presenter or its regular roster of pundits after lead presenter Gary Lineker was asked to step back from coverage after breaking the broadcaster’s impartiality rules on Twitter.
Piers Morgan has joined a chorus of criticism against the BBC’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker after he compared British government rhetoric to Nazi Germany.