Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster is a writer and broadcaster who has been involved in policy analysis at the highest levels, both nationally and internationally, for the last 35 years. Roger and Steven discusses the BBC presenter scandal: the actions of the BBC and Sun newspaper, BBC coverage of the story, privacy laws and whether the BBC is facing an existential crisis. “I think it's self-indulgent and I think it's self-obsessive. And it's self-indulg...
Jul 12, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Andrew Neil, the former Sunday Times editor has become arguably the best political interviewer in the business, someone whom Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were desperate to avoid. This week we’re talking to the man who spent 25 years at the BBC presenting programmes such as This Week, Sunday Politics, The Daily Politics, and Politics Live. Andrew Neil then left the corporation and became the lead presenter and chairman of GB News, but not for long. After only 8 programmes he left. Due to cuts at C...
Jul 05, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Ofcom, the UK communications industry regulator was in front of the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport select committee on Tuesday on the same day as Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes published an article in the Daily Telegraph. In recent years, an increasing number of politicians have fronted or guest presented current affairs programmes. Professor Stewart Purvis, former content and standards partner at Ofcom and ITN Chief Executive watches the proceedings in parliament and discusses Ofc...
Jul 04, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Henry Hill is the deputy editor of the Conservative Home website. He discusses the growing trend of partisan news channels, regulation, funding models, impartiality, political interviews and Conservative attitudes to the BBC and BBC reform. “If support for the BBC on the right collapses, whether you think that that collapse is justified or not, whether you think the criticisms are justified or not, it then becomes regardless of that, very difficult to justify having a corporation and a broadcast...
Jun 29, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Tony Hall – Lord Hall of Birkenhead - was the director general of the BBC from 2013 until 2020. He joined the Corporation as a trainee in 1973 rising to director of BBC News and current affairs in 1990 and continued to lead BBC News until 2001. During his tenure he launched BBC Parliament, BBC 5 Live, BBC News 24 and BBC News Online, before taking some time off to run the Royal Opera house in Covent Garden. He also spent time on Channel 4’s board. Tony calls for a debate on public service media ...
Jun 21, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Martin Rosenbaum was the leading specialist in utilising Freedom of Information at the BBC. As the former executive producer of political programmes at Westminster, he oversaw programmes such as 'Political Thinking' with Nick Robinson, and the 'Week in Westminster' as well as editing and producing numerous political documentaries. He had a ringside seat at the BBC during the Hutton Inquiry, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly the government advisor wh...
Jun 15, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Tim Suter, is a former managing editor of current affairs at the BBC, who later became a specialist adviser at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport which brought in the last media bill in 2003. That’s the one which which set up Ofcom, the UK’s media and communications regulator, of which Tim became a founding partner. He now runs his own consultancy, Perspective Associates. We discuss what the new Media Bill means, the dismantling of quotas for public services broadcasters, the remit of Ch...
Jun 08, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Stewart Purvis is probably the pre-eminent broadcast news journalist of his time. A former editor of Channel 4 news, he went on to become ITN’s Chief Executive – and then the poacher turned gamekeeper. The now Professor Purvis served as one of the content regulators at Ofcom and oversaw standards cases involving the BBC between 2007 and 2010. In 2015 he was a member of the BBC Charter Review Advisory Group and has been a non executive director of Channel 4 among many, many other things. We discu...
May 25, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Before leaving the BBC in 2021 Rob Burley had worked with all the big political beasts at the Beeb - Andrew Neil, Jeremy Paxman, Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel - and as editor of Live Political Programmes oversaw 'The Andrew Marr Show', 'Politics Live' and 'Westminster Hour'. We discuss his recently published book called - 'Why Is This Lying Bastard Lying To Me' – which details everything from the art of the political interview, to revelations about the BBC's relationship with government and covera...
May 18, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Tom Mangold is one of Britain's top investigative journalists. From Fleet Street he moved to the BBC in 1964 and became a war correspondent covering numerous conflicts including Vietnam, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. He then found himself at Panorama for 26 years making over 100 documentaries. He looks back on a career where he cultivated the Krays, became friends with Stephen Ward who was at the heart of the Profumo scandal and dissects the challenges that investigative journalism is under....
May 11, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 4
John Bridcut has produced highly regarded documentaries throughout his career on a range of subjects including ‘How the BBC began’, the British monarchy - encompassing the Queen's coronation, Prince Philip, and King Charles - as well as documentaries on classical composers such as Elgar, Delius, and Britten. His latest documentary, focusing on British composer Sir Michael Tippett, is set to air in June on BBC 2. John also authored a report in 2007 for the BBC on the safeguarding of impartiality ...
May 04, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Simon McCoy was known as a regular presenter on BBC Breakfast, News 24 and latterly the BBC News at One. Before joining the BBC he was also royal correspondent at Sky in the early nineties covering the break down of Diana and Charles' marriage. After 17 years at the corporation Simon joined GB news for just under a year in 2021. We discuss royal coverage, impartiality, GB News, Richard Sharp's position as BBC chair and the merger of the BBC's two news channels. "When the BBC is under such pressu...
Apr 27, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 2
The draft Media bill was finally published at the end of March - what does it mean for diversity and the public service broadcasters? We discuss language, data and the loosening of regulations with Marcus Ryder, previously head of BBC Scotland Current Affairs Programmes who is now the head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity. “I think that it is in BBC, Channel 4’s and other public service broadcasters’ interests for them to tighten regulation, because if ...
Apr 20, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 1
On the run up to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Peter Taylor veteran BBC journalist reveals his own personal story as a journalist covering Ireland for over 50 years and voices his concerns for the future of journalism. "Sadly, when I look at the people, my colleagues who've left the BBC, the BBC is in danger of losing that critical level of experience which we pass on, we veterans want to pass on, are eager to pass on, to the next generation and the next generation but one.”...
Apr 06, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 15
One of Britain’s finest reporters Peter Taylor, with numerous books, documentaries and awards spanning a career of over 50 years, discusses his latest BBC 2 documentary based on his book published this week; 'Operation chiffon: The Secret Story of MI5 and MI6 and the Road to Peace in Ireland'. "We spent a couple of weeks just living inside the Maze prison. We were locked up with prisoners and in talking to them, it was quite clear that they were thinking beyond the so-called armed struggle." Sup...
Mar 31, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Jamie Angus left the BBC last July after a stellar career involving editing the Today programme and Newsnight. He later became director of the World Service, running the teams which produce news in 42 languages to a weekly audience of 500 million around the world. Now he's chief operating officer at Al Arabiya news channel in the United Arab Emirates and is moving into the space left by the axing of BBC Arabic radio. We discuss cuts in the World Service and news, impartiality, the future funding...
Mar 23, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Protests in Israel continued over the weekend against the government's plans which would give Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, the power to overrule Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority and the power to nominate judges. Israel has no second chamber and no written constitution, so if this measure goes through there can be no appeal. Dame Margaret Hodge, who is the parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement discusses what needs to be done after her trip to the regions. “I do thin...
Mar 20, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Roger Mosey, former editorial director of the BBC, head of TV news and director of sport discusses the handling of the Gary Lineker and Fiona Bruce controversies, the BBC board and its vision and the leaked emails and WhatsApp messages showing BBC editors asking their journalists to avoid using the word “lockdown” in reporting at the start of the pandemic and to be more critical of Labour after pressure from Downing Street. “I was worried too. And I talked to some quite senior people in the BBC ...
Mar 16, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On Tuesday the BBC announced cuts to its orchestras and choirs. Its in-house chamber choir, the BBC Singers will come to an end and there will be a 20% reduction of roles in the BBC's English orchestras - Symphony, Concert and Philharmonic. Paul Hughes, the former BBC Director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and of the BBC Singers left his post last July after 23 years. He gives his reaction to the decision making process, the impact on the choral and orchestral landscape, the value the...
Mar 09, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Ken Bruce is the most popular presenter in the UK with over 8 million listeners on Radio 2 and he's about to join former colleague Simon Mayo at Greatest Hits Radio. Simon discusses Ken's departure from the BBC. "The situation has been handled badly." Subscribe and support the podcast here . Find all our podcasts here @simonmayo @BeebRoger @ RogerBolton@mastodonapp.uk roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 02, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 9
“In 2015 at the time of the Charter Review, more than 40,000 people responded to the BBC Trust on its consultation. The latest BBC consultation there was something like 25 responses because people didn’t know about it.” Colin Browne, chair of the Voice of the Listener and Viewer argues that there is now the absurd position that the BBC’s competitors have more power to influence the BBC’s ability to make changes, rather than those who fund it. Subscribe and support the podcast here . Find all our...
Feb 24, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Dr Tom Mills, a sociologist at Aston University, has written a book called 'The BBC: Myth of a Public Service'. It claims to set aside both liberal and conservative fantasies about the institution, and says that far from being a sanctuary for independent journalism, the BBC is intimately connected to the power it is supposed to hold to account. We discuss issues raised in the book on organisational culture, reform, accountability as well as the ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment of ...
Feb 14, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 7
On Tuesday Richard Sharp the BBC chairman faced questions from the Department of culture, media and sport select committee. They were examining the process of the appointment of the BBC chairman, and as the committee which approved his appointment were they given the relevant information it could and should have known about. Richard Ayre, a former controller of editorial policy and deputy chief executive of BBC news and a former member of the OFCOM content board discusses with Roger Bolton the c...
Feb 07, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 6
As part of its impartiality plan, this week the BBC published its report looking at the broadcaster's coverage of taxation, public spending, government borrowing and debt. The authors found no evidence of bias towards one particular political position, but there were things "that put impartiality at risk". Paul Mason discusses the report's findings and reflects on his own experiences working at the BBC and Channel 4. "Newsnight had famously missed the AOL /Time Warner merger, the biggest merger ...
Feb 01, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Controversy is currently surrounding BBC chairman Richard Sharp amidst allegations that he helped Boris Johnson when the then Prime Minister found himself in personal financial difficulties, and while Mr Sharp’s application to become BBC chairman was approaching the final stages. He did not declare the alleged conflict of interest to those involved. Richard Ayre, a former controller of editorial policy and deputy chief executive of BBC news and a former member of the OFCOM content board discusse...
Jan 24, 2023•17 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Conservative peer Baroness Tina Stowell has had an extraordinary career since she left school with 5 O Levels. Leader of the House of Lords under David Cameron, following a period as Head of Corporate Affairs at the BBC, and now chair of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select committee – a committee that is vital to the future of broadcasting. Baroness Stowell tells us her views on funding, impartiality, whether the BBC is serving the whole of the country, the impact of Ken Bruce's...
Jan 20, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Dorothy Byrne was until recently Editor at Large at Channel 4, having been its head of news and current affairs for many years. We discuss the government's decision not to privatise Channel 4 and its plans for reform. Should the channel start making its own content and should more right wing voices be heard? And is there a need for radical ideas in broadcasting. “I think it is interesting to me, that I'm so in sympathy with much of what the Conservatives are saying they now want to do for Channe...
Jan 13, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 2
“The public service broadcasting system is undoubtedly facing an existential threat,” so says Sir Peter Bazalgette. He has been responsible for shows such as Big Brother , Changing Rooms and Ready Steady Cook and in September he stepped down as chair of ITV. We discuss the importance of the Media Bill and the existential threat to broadcasters, privatisation of Channel 4, the BBC's vision and the need for a proper debate about what we want from the BBC. “ITV has a number of options. I know it wa...
Jan 06, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In the second part of his interview with Richard Ayre, a former member of the BBC trust board, Roger discusses why he is a Christian and answers questions on Brexit coverage, diversity and BBC cuts and coverage. Support the podcast by subscribing here . @BeebRoger @RogerBolton@mastodonapp.uk roger@rogerboltonsbeebwatch.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 30, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 15
After over 50 years in broadcasting, and being fired twice by the BBC, Roger Bolton is interviewed on his career by Richard Ayre, a former member of the BBC trust. Roger talks about his departure from BBC Radio 4's Feedback, editing Panorama and Nationwide and discusses the controversy surrounding his 'Death on the Rock' programme in 1988 which examined the deaths of three IRA members in Gibraltar by the British Special Air Service. Support the podcast by subscribing here . @BeebRoger @RogerBolt...
Dec 23, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 14
