The Newsroom

BBC News: Presenters & Rotas

(March 2013)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
SW
Steve Williams
For some reason she's incapable of working an entire week. Why?


How is this anyone's business at all apart from Victoria Derbyshire and her employer?
RA
radiolistener
For some reason she's incapable of working an entire week. Why?


How is this anyone's business at all apart from Victoria Derbyshire and her employer?


As a licence fee payer, is she on a retainer for the use of her name on a programme she rarely presents?

How is that "good value" for a TV licence payer?
SW
Steve Williams
Being a licence fee payer does not give us carte blanche to pry into a presenter's private life.
RA
radiolistener
Being a licence fee payer does not give us carte blanche to pry into a presenter's private life.



Who is prying into what? And don't forget, VD has made very public documentaries - and indeed written a book that has been plugged on the BBC - on her "private life".
HA
harshy Founding member
I wonder if the situation they found themselves in with Victoria's programme (having a programme named after its presenter who is then absent through illness for a long period) is why it isn't "Afternoon Live with Simon McCoy"

Happens on Impact with Yalda Hakim as she goes out hunting for news stories and then appears weeks later on her own show.
SW
Steve Williams
Who is prying into what? And don't forget, VD has made very public documentaries - and indeed written a book that has been plugged on the BBC - on her "private life".


This is a pretty offensive argument, I'm afraid, virtually identical to the "they choose to put themselves in the spotlight" argument that people used to justify phone hacking. Victoria Derbyshire decided to discuss and document particular aspects - of her own choosing - of her cancer treatment in an attempt to educate people about the realities of cancer and provide comfort for other sufferers. She did not do this to give people on the internet the excuse to nose around and make judgements about her life. I find it wholly unpleasant to even bring it up as an excuse.

What is this questioning supposed to achieve? What do you want to find out? That Derbyshire is "skiving"? It's absolutely none of anyone's bloody business. If Derbyshire's "absences" were becoming a problem, don't you think her bosses might have noticed before some peope on the internet? And if she is absent, so what? You don't honestly think it's just because she can't be bothered, surely? What possible reason would there be for that? You don't get anywhere near being a senior presenter on a major broadcaster if you don't work hard and aren't dedicated. What are we trying to prove here? She's not claiming benefits or anything.

Spare me all the stuff about being a licence fee payer so you have a right to know. I'm assuming you have the same issue with Graham Norton. He's only on the telly for 45 minutes a week and on the radio three hours a week, and he has three months off in the summer. And he's definitely on more money than Victoria Derbyshire, and more likely to be "on a retainer for the use of his name", if such a thing existed (which I seriously doubt). Can someone tell me what the difference is between the two, please? And no, "because her name is on the show so she should do them all like Graham does" doesn't count when it's on five days a week all year round.

I'll say it again, the hours Victoria Derbyshire works are nobody's bloody business. She is absolutely not the only person at the BBC who isn't on five days a week, in front of or behind the camera. And really, who cares? Who says everyone has to work a five day week? My dad (who doesn't work in the public sector) works four days a week because he works long and inconvenient hours. He is renumerated accordingly. My mum (who also doesn't work in the public sector) works three days a week because that's how much she wants to work to achieve the work-life balance she prefers. And again, is renumerated accordingly. This has all been agreed with their employers and there is no innuendo when they don't work the "other" day(s) of the week. I don't want anyone to start slagging off my parents for "skiving" or being "lazy", so why should Victoria Derbyshire have to put up with it?

I can't believe this discussion keeps on coming up on this forum, often from the same few posters with an axe to grind for the flimsiest of reasons. It's incredibly unpleasant and highly disrespectful.
RO
rob Founding member
Well put Steve.

16 days later

AS
AlexS
Sportsday ran until the weather just before 7pm and Katty Kay ended Beyond 100 days solo to allow for Christian to get between studios E and C and then back to E this evening.
i-lied and watchingtv gave kudos
RK
Rkolsen
Does the BBC hire stringers (either journalism or photographers) for coverage or all they pretty much all covered?
LX
lxflyer
Does the BBC hire stringers (either journalism or photographers) for coverage or all they pretty much all covered?

Where are you thinking of?

They have an extensive network of BBC News correspondents supplemented by dual language correspondents employed by the various BBC World Service language services.

Stringers complement them in certain locations.

But I think you’d be surprised at the global reach.
CI
cityprod
Does the BBC hire stringers (either journalism or photographers) for coverage or all they pretty much all covered?


I think there are some stringers used for sports coverage on a Saturday afternoon, and maybe a few freelancers occasionally for coverage in areas where they can't get a correspondent to quickly, but that's about it.
RA
radiolistener
Who is prying into what? And don't forget, VD has made very public documentaries - and indeed written a book that has been plugged on the BBC - on her "private life".


This is a pretty offensive argument, I'm afraid, virtually identical to the "they choose to put themselves in the spotlight" argument that people used to justify phone hacking. Victoria Derbyshire decided to discuss and document particular aspects - of her own choosing - of her cancer treatment in an attempt to educate people about the realities of cancer and provide comfort for other sufferers. She did not do this to give people on the internet the excuse to nose around and make judgements about her life. I find it wholly unpleasant to even bring it up as an excuse.

What is this questioning supposed to achieve? What do you want to find out? That Derbyshire is "skiving"? It's absolutely none of anyone's bloody business. If Derbyshire's "absences" were becoming a problem, don't you think her bosses might have noticed before some peope on the internet? And if she is absent, so what? You don't honestly think it's just because she can't be bothered, surely? What possible reason would there be for that? You don't get anywhere near being a senior presenter on a major broadcaster if you don't work hard and aren't dedicated. What are we trying to prove here? She's not claiming benefits or anything.

Spare me all the stuff about being a licence fee payer so you have a right to know. I'm assuming you have the same issue with Graham Norton. He's only on the telly for 45 minutes a week and on the radio three hours a week, and he has three months off in the summer. And he's definitely on more money than Victoria Derbyshire, and more likely to be "on a retainer for the use of his name", if such a thing existed (which I seriously doubt). Can someone tell me what the difference is between the two, please? And no, "because her name is on the show so she should do them all like Graham does" doesn't count when it's on five days a week all year round.

I'll say it again, the hours Victoria Derbyshire works are nobody's bloody business. She is absolutely not the only person at the BBC who isn't on five days a week, in front of or behind the camera. And really, who cares? Who says everyone has to work a five day week? My dad (who doesn't work in the public sector) works four days a week because he works long and inconvenient hours. He is renumerated accordingly. My mum (who also doesn't work in the public sector) works three days a week because that's how much she wants to work to achieve the work-life balance she prefers. And again, is renumerated accordingly. This has all been agreed with their employers and there is no innuendo when they don't work the "other" day(s) of the week. I don't want anyone to start slagging off my parents for "skiving" or being "lazy", so why should Victoria Derbyshire have to put up with it?

I can't believe this discussion keeps on coming up on this forum, often from the same few posters with an axe to grind for the flimsiest of reasons. It's incredibly unpleasant and highly disrespectful.


If you think that's offensive, go and live in Syria. Or Libya. You might have something proper to find offensive.

A show called Victoria Derbyshire that has hardly been presented by Victoria Derbyshire. If anyone doesn't think that odd that I really don't know what to say.

As regards VD's health, she's hardly been private about it. Again if you can't see that, then you are just defending the utter indefensible and creating a strawman to help your argument.
Last edited by radiolistener on 18 November 2017 6:01pm

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