BBC ‘axes’ popular show after more than 25 YEARS on air as devastated host says ‘it’s sad news for me’
THE BBC have reportedly 'axed' a popular show after more than two decades on air.
Long-running interview series HARDtalk launched on BBC World News in 1997.
Taking to X, current host Stephen Sackur revealed: "Today BBC News has announced plans to close HARDtalk after 3 decades holding the world’s politicians and powerbrokers to account.
"This is sad news for me personally, but much more important, I think it’s depressing news for the BBC..."
Other current presenters on the programme include Zeinab Badawi and Sarah Montague.
Upon its debut, HARDtalk featured award-winning journalist Tim Sebastian as presenter.
Read more on BBC
The show's very first guest was celebrated actor and director Sir Richard Attenborough.
Meanwhile, other guests in the initial week included journalist Irma Kurtz, yachtsman Pete Goss, as well as late writer Edward Said and late racounteur Quentin Crisp.
Previous episodes of HARDtalk are available now on BBC iPlayer.
Latest TV Show Axings
All of the shows we're saying goodbye to this year:
- The Masked Dancer, ITV
- Scarlett Moffatt's Driving School, BBC
- The Lazarus Project, Sky
- Better, BBC
- Dance Monsters, Netflix
- Laura Whitmore & Oti Mabuse's weekend shows, ITV
- Ross Kemp's 72 Hours In..., Channel 5
- Rise and Fall, Channel 4
- Dead Boy Detectives, Netflix