BBC to axe another 2,000 jobs

The BBC is to axe 2,050 jobs in a second wave of redundancies aimed at saving hundreds of millions of pounds a year, the corporation announced today.

The cuts will include 420 in news, 66 in sport, 150 in drama, entertainment and children’s programmes, 735 in the regions, 58 in new media and 424 in factual and learning.

The cuts, announced in a special message to staff by director general Mark Thompson, follow a previous announcement of 1,730 job losses in professional services.

The BBC said a total of 3,780 jobs would be lost, a reduction of 19% in its UK workforce.