Fatal blood clot: Coroner rules AstraZeneca vaccine caused death of BBC host Lisa Shaw August 27, 2021 The death of award-winning BBC radio presenter Lisa Shaw was caused by complications as a result of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, a coroner in Newcastle has concluded. Shaw died in May, just over three weeks after she had her first dose of the jab, an inquest in Newcastle heard on Thursday. The 44-year-old – who [...]
BBC set to tap Jess Brammar as news chief despite ‘bias’ row August 23, 2021 The BBC is poised to appoint Jess Brammar as its new head of news despite an online backlash against so-called ‘left-wing’ views. Brammar, former editor-in-chief of Huffpost UK and previously deputy editor of Newsnight, is expected to be appointed to a new role overseeing the broadcaster’s news output. It comes despite criticisms that the news [...]
Russia to expel BBC journalist in ‘symbolic deportation’ August 13, 2021 Russia has told a BBC journalist working in Russia to leave the country by the end of the month in what it described as a “symbolic deportation”. In a sign of further tensions between the two nations, Russian state media reported that Sarah Rainsford, one of the broadcaster’s two English-language Moscow correspondents, will be expelled [...]
Screenshot: Can the City harness the power of the Netflix model? August 13, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Victoria Derbyshire’s heels hiccup **Can the City harness the power of the Netflix model? **The CMA goes for GIFs Media Moment of the Week: Victoria Derbyshire’s heels hiccup Late on Wednesday evening prolific BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire tweeted to say she’d be on air three times in a [...]
BBC weighs sale of iconic Eastenders studios in Elstree August 11, 2021 The BBC is weighing up a sale of its iconic studios at Elstree in north London in a move that could spark a major upheaval for productions such as Eastenders. Real estate consultant Lambert Smith Hampton has reportedly surveyed the site ahead of a possible disposal, although no decision has been reached. The studio complex [...]
BBC headquarters ‘in lockdown’ as anti-vax protesters target broadcaster August 9, 2021 The BBC’s central London headquarters have reportedly been placed under lockdown as anti-vaccination protesters target the public service broadcaster. Earlier today the clueless mob attempted to storm Television Centre in west London, which stopped serving as the BBC’s headquarters in 2013. It is now home to studios for daytime ITV shows including Loose Women, luxury [...]
BBC Three relaunch faces delay as Ofcom opens competition probe July 20, 2021 The BBC’s plans to relaunch BBC Three as a traditional TV channel have been put in doubt after Ofcom said it would launch a full competition investigation into the proposal. Earlier this year the public service broadcaster said BBC Three would return to screens six years after it was made online-only as part of a [...]
Euro 2020: TV audience hits 31m as England lose on penalties July 12, 2021 Just under 31m people tuned into England’s Euro 2020 final loss last night, making the heart-wrenching fixture one of the largest TV audiences ever recorded. Viewer numbers peaked at 30.95m during the tense penalty shootout against Italy at Wembley, which was broadcast on both the BBC and ITV. An average of 29.85m people watched across [...]
Labour calls for resignation of Number 10 ally on BBC board July 10, 2021 The Labour Party has called for the resignation of a BBC director and Number 10 ally after it emerged that he had tried to block a senior editorial appointment. The FT reported that Robbie Gibb, Theresa May’s former communications director, warned the broadcaster after Jess Brammar, former editor of HuffPost UK and deputy editor of BBC Newsnight, [...]
Screenshot: Should the UK tech sector really be cashing in its chips? July 9, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Tesco’s football fail **Should the UK tech sector really be cashing in its chips? **A Wise move Media Moment of the Week: Tesco’s football fail Once again the internet was awash with football this week, and plenty of brands decided to jump on the England bandwagon for a [...]