Richard Osman warns 'some stuff has to go' as BBC may axe shows amid budget cuts

09 January 2024 , 08:16

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Richard Osman warns 'some stuff has to go' as BBC may axe shows amid budget cuts

Richard Osman discussed the possibility the BBC will continue to axe shows amid its budget cuts.

The author and presenter, 53, is the creator of BBC One quiz show Pointless, hosted BBC Two's Two Tribes and currently hosts Richard Osman's House of Games. He also hosted a comedy panel show, Insert Name Here. The TV producer explained what could happen in the corporation's future as it has 'much less money than it used to'.

"The BBC has an awful lot less money than it used to, so some stuff has to go," he explained on his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast. "The BBC has pretty much run out of money. All those mid-level programmes are sort of done. It's too expensive to launch new things with the money they've got so we're going to have the same shows for a very long time."

Richard added: "And more topical will be dropping by the wayside. Everything has to sing for its supper now.

He said some BBC programmes 'has to go' (PA)

"Everything now how to pay its way in three different ways. It has to pay its way in ratings, then it has to pay its way in repeatability and it has to pay its way in international sales." It comes a month after it was revealed the BBC was getting rid of their popular show, A Question Of Sport.

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Bosses have called time on the family-friendly show, which ran for an incredible half a century, amid dwindling ratings and limited iPlayer appeal - but insisted the brand is not for sale and the broadcaster reserves the right to bring it back in the future. The move comes after Sue Barker was dropped as presenter in 2020 - much to her dismay - along with long-running team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell.

Paddy McGuinness took over as host with Sam Quek and Ugo Monye running the teams, but their tenure, which ran for two series, failed to excite viewers. Many viewers complained that Paddy did not have a sporting background and was not the right choice.

Last month a BBC spokesman explained: “Due to inflation and funding challenges difficult decisions have to be made, therefore Question of Sport is currently not in production at the moment.” An insider claimed the show was no longer in production but would possibly return in the future, in the same way that The Weakest Link ended in 2012, under Anne Robinson, then returned in 2020 with Romesh Ranganathan.

“We have to provide value for money to licence fee payers and prioritise high-impact content that drives viewers to BBC iPlayer,” the insider explained. “So, for now, Question of Sport is taking a break and there are no current plans for its return.”

Zara Woodcock