BBC News this Christmas - impact of cuts & Covid

I suspect it will be longer - from 7pm on Xmas Eve right through until 6am on Sunday 27th, excepting Breakfast on Boxing day.

I think that is highly unlikely


Can anyone remind me what everyone is arguing about in this thread, I think it’s gone very 2020 and people are disagreeing for the point of disagreeing.

If the news junkies had their way, it'd be wall to wall news all day on BBC One throughout Christmas.

It's not like there aren't two 24/7 domestic news channels which will have news bulletins on throughout the day.

In light of London going into Tier 4 this is being reviewed and could be extended according to Fran Unsworth. Only colleagues essential for broadcasts and transmission allowed in.

Also: “In light of the new restrictions, we are also actively looking at how we further simplify our output."

You may well be right, Karin Giannone has tweeted about appearing after Martine Croxall on Christmas Day suggesting the 2 channels are simulcasting.

Like any TV schedule it’s not set in stone.
If there is a hugely significant event on Christmas Day or Boxing Day that does require rolling coverage on BBC1 then BBC1 will no doubt cover it or will extend the bulletins so they are longer.

I'm not sure why. Nothing with the move from Tier 3 to 4 has changed the measures that were already in place for workplaces, and work related travel, has it ?

No, but perhaps the BBC has reviewed what it's doing and thinks it need to put precautions in above an beyond the requirements set out by government, and that's no bad thing, it's what any responsible employer should do.

If they were that bothered about the new restrictions they'd stop presenters based in tier 4 areas travelling to Salford (or other locations out with tier 4) as the minimum which they haven't done (and those based elsewhere from travelling into tier 4). Fran Unsworth just wants an excuse to put out a bare bones service over Xmas. Instead of symbolic moves relating to having more correspondents appear over zoom they should be focussing on reducing the actions that actually could cause to the virus spreading across the country.

Now I 100% expect that he is following all guidelines and social distancing, but look at someone like Chris Mason

On Monday he's in Downing street mixing with reporters and crew from other broadcasters, on Wednesday he's on air live from BBC Millbank, on Friday he could be in the studio at NBH and on Sunday he's doing Breakfast from Salford.

I can't believe some of the hyperbolic replies to this thread, ranging from swearing to accusing some people of wanting BBC 1 to become a rolling news channel on Xmas Day.

I've been interested in following news & current affairs for around 15 years, and in that time I cannot remember an Xmas Day & Boxing Day when BBC 1 did not have a structured, 10 - 15 minute early evening news bulletin on either day. So I set up this thread to merely question why in this news heavy year and during a rapidly evolving national crisis, why this year of all years, there's no scheduled, structured evening news bulletin at all on BBC 1 on Xmas Day & Boxing Day.

I wasn't "calling" for "extended" early evening bulletins on these 2 days. I was asking why there are no bulletins scheduled at all. Yes, there is the NC, but lots of people can't be bothered watching half hour of news and the analysis and other filler material the NC puts in to stretch it all out. They just want 10 - 15 mins of structured reports of the days main stories. Thinking that BBC 1 should have a 15 minute, structured evening bulletin on Xmas or Boxing Day is hardly wanting to turn BBC 1 into a Christmas rolling news channel, as has been implied by some.

I agree with the replies that it's most likely a BBC 1 scheduling decision, but as I said, in this year of all year's, I find it a strange one. I just think that as the UK's publicly funded PSB in 2020, the BBC should be providing a 15 minute or so structured evening news bulletin, as it has done every year for as long as I can remember. I'm sure someone will contradict me and tell me that in 2002 there was no early evening news bulletin on Xmas or Boxing Day.

I await the further replies accusing me of wanting a BBC News takeover of BBC 1 on Xmas Day & Boxing Day to follow.......maybe some more swearing and sarcastic, bordering on offensive remarks will also be thrown in