With Donald Trump threatening to sue the BBC for upwards of a billion dollars, the corporation may have to make some cuts.
The BBC may need to make some cuts after Donald Trump announced his intention to sue the broadcaster for $5 5billion.
(Image: BBC)
With Donald Trump threatening to sue the BBC for “between $1bn and $5bn” ; it begs the question, how will the corporation pay if it is forced to fork out the huge damages? His actions follow the broadcaster’s apology for airing a doctored edit of a 2021 speech. The US president said he would press ahead with legal action next week, describing the broadcaster’s conduct as “beyond corrupt!” and insisting the apology was nowhere near sufficient.
With a potential financial disaster looming, they will need to claw back some cash. The logical way to make savings is by eliminating some of the presenters who have had their day. There are some names that wouldn’t be missed, and the savings on their pay cheques could help the BBC out of a hole if they lose to Trump.
But who are the top five celebrities who should be facing the chop?
5. Jonny Dymond
Who? I hear you say. Jonny may be the BBC’s Royal Correspondent, but he is far from memorable. If you asked most people what he did, they probably wouldn’t have a clue. Yet he still earns over £200,000 a year. I’m sure he is very competent, but the fact is, he is also spread pretty thin. He was previously a correspondent in Washington, Brussels and Istanbul, reporting across the US, Europe and the Middle East – which doesn’t really scream a future in Royal reporting. These days he also hosts Radio 4 news programmes, including the World At One and Broadcasting House, and for World Service Radio programmes, including The World This Week and World Questions. Is it any wonder no one really knows what he does for his huge salary?
(Image: X/Twitter)
4. Jason Mohammad
Somewhat of a “Jack of All Trades”, Jason has a daily BBC Wales programme, hosts Final Score on Saturdays, and presents Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday. He’s also been part of the BBC’s Olympic coverage team and has occasionally presented Match of the Day. Given that he doesn’t seem to have a “brand identity”, it was a real surprise when he made the top ten earners last year, and axing him wouldn’t exactly leave a hole in the schedules.
(Image: BBC)
3. Ross Kemp
However much the BBC are paying Ross Kemp to host daytime quiz show Bridge of Lies, it is too much. While he is a fine actor and has made some engaging documentaries, he simply does not cut it as a quiz show host. His banter falls flat, and the show is tedious. It’s a waste of licence payers’ money.
(Image: Getty)
2. Naga Munchetty
The recent bullying allegations against Naga aside she has become very complacent in her role on BBC Breakfast, which she joined in 2014. She often looks bored doing interviews and appears as if she doesn’t want to be there. Breakfast TV requires the presenters to exude personality in order to help viewers wake up and ease into their day. Naga makes you want to go back to bed.
(Image: BBC)
1. Graham Norton
I loved Graham Norton‘s show when it began on Channel 4. They allowed him to be as irreverent as he liked and the celebrities who appeared on the show just took the anarchy and ran with it. People appeared out of love of the format rather than because they had something to plug. When he moved to the BBC I expected his content would dilute slightly due to their more stringent guidelines but for a few years it was still funny and fresh. However for the past several years he has literally been dialling it in. Every person appearing on the show is flogging something and it is more like a sponsored PR event than a chat show – ironic for a channel that doesn’t allow advertising. By the time it airs we have already been drip fed all the best lines in promotional material and it could easily be dropped without much fanfare and I doubt anyone would complain. Well except perhaps Graham who pocketed £2.43 million for his work on the show in 2024.
