BBC to cut 10% of staff

The BBC announced on April 15 that it would cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs - almost one in 10 - to cope with "significant financial pressure".

The BBC's acting director general, Talfan Davies, told staff the BBC needed to save £500 million over the next two years. He did not rule out that as a result of the cuts, entire channels or services would have to be closed.

Davis told employees that "the gap between our expenses and our income is growing." According to him, this is due to inflation, reduction in income from licensing fees and commercial activities, as well as instability in the global economy.

• The British Broadcasting Corporation's work in the UK is largely directly funded by UK residents who pay for their television licence. The BBC World Service is partly funded by government grants. In addition, the BBC conducts commercial activities.
• Currently, the BBC employs about 21.5 thousand permanent employees.