Does the government want to sack the BBC boss? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 7, 2025 · 51 MIN

Does the government want to sack the BBC boss?

from The News Agents

Labour used to be the party that leapt to the defence of the BBC. So why was the Culture Secretary this weekend calling for heads to roll, saying she was "exasperated" at the broadcaster, and refusing to express confidence its director general Tim Davie? The BBC has admitted to failings in its Glastonbury coverage, which saw it stream one act chanting "death to the IDF" - despite the corporation later admitting it had deemed them "high risk" before the festival. But those admissions don't appear to have satisfied the government. Is Labour falling out of love with the BBC? And should the BBC be worried? Jon and Emily discuss with Sir Craig Oliver, former BBC News editor turned Downing Street director of politics and communications.Later, on the twentieth anniversary of the 7/7 bombings, which killed 52 people, injured more than 700, and led to the largest criminal investigation in British history - have we learnt the lessons from the tragedy? Yasmin Khan, a human rights campaigner and friend of the de Menezes family, appears in the Netflix documentary 'Attack on London', and came in to News Agents HQ. The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

NOW PLAYING

Does the government want to sack the BBC boss?

0:00 51:24

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The News Agents?

This episode is 51 minutes long.

When was this The News Agents episode published?

This episode was published on July 7, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Labour used to be the party that leapt to the defence of the BBC. So why was the Culture Secretary this weekend calling for heads to roll, saying she was "exasperated" at the broadcaster, and refusing to express confidence its director general Tim...

Can I download this The News Agents episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!