The Victoria Derbyshire Show cancelled
The Victoria Derbyshire Show is coming off air due to cost.
The BBC’s media editor, Amol Rajan, is reporting via Twitter that BBC News is committed to Victoria and the journalism of the weekday show but the cost of doing it is too high when savings are needed.
1/ 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
— Amol Rajan (@amolrajan) January 22, 2020
2/ The show won awards at the RTS and from BAFTA. Victoria nominated for Best Presenter 4 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
— Amol Rajan (@amolrajan) January 22, 2020
The award winning TV programme first launched on 7th April 2015 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel.
Host Victoria Derbyshire was nominated for RTS Presenter of the Year along with Zand who was nominated in the Young Talent category which Zand won.
Derbyshire won Broadcaster of the Year at the PinkNews Awards in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, the programme won a BAFTA for its coverage of former footballers who had been sexually abused.
UPDATE: 23rd Jan, 2.07pm..
Host Victoria Derbyshire has had her say on the decision by the BBC to end the show:
“Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme (which I first learned about in yesterday’s Times). I’m unbelievably proud of what our team and our show have achieved in under 5 years,” said Victoria.
“Breaking tonnes of original stories (which we were asked to do); attracting a working class, young, diverse audience that BBC radio & TV news progs just don’t reach (which we were asked to do); and smashing the digital figures (which we were asked to do).
“I’m gutted particularly for our brilliant, young, ambitious, talented team – love ‘em. And for all those people we gave a voice to. Love them too.”
The BBC, who released a statement earlier today, said the reason for ending the programme was because audience behaviours are changing. Linear television viewing is declining and “as we progress with our £80m saving target, it is no longer cost-effective to continue producing the programme on television.”
