by Thinus Ferreira
The BBC has cancelled its long-running HARDtalk interview show seen on BBC News (DStv 400) after 28 years which will end in March 2025 with the show's axing coming amidst further budget cuts and 130 news division workers losing their jobs.
On social media, Stephen Sackur, HARDtalk's presenter, said that "BBC News has announced plans to close HARDtalk after 3 decades holding the world's politicians and powerbrokers to account". He is also exiting the BBC.
Stephen Sackur noted "This is sad news for me personally, but much more important, I think it's depressing news for the BBC and all who believe in the importance of independent, rigorous, deeply-researched journalism. At a time when disinformation and media manipulation are poisoning public discourse".
He said "A brilliant team of producers and researchers is being disbanded just as BBC director-general Tim Davie is trying to persuade the British government that the journalism of the BBC World Service is such a vital expression of democratic soft power that the taxpayer must fund it. Whatever the outcome of that, it seems it will be too late to save HARDtalk".
HARDtalk started in 1997. The BBC says "HARDtalk has done great work across the last 25 years, but we've had to make some tough decisions given the level of savings required and changing audience habits".
"People are coming to our news channel for live and breaking news, while across the whole of BBC News, we have hard-hitting long-form interviews and discussion on more platforms than ever, for instance via our global on-air editors, and our debate and discussion programmes."