The BBC is considering relocating part of its Breakfast show back to London because so few celebrity guests will travel to its new home in Salford.
Bosses at the Corporation have held “preliminary talks” about whether the later “lighter” segment of the programme between 8.30 and 9.15am could be returned to the capital, it was reported today. This section features celebrity interviews and there have been concerns that its live guests have not been of a high enough calibre.
One idea discussed was to create a separate show called Breakfast Extra that could be based in London.
Other possibilities are to turn the last 45 minutes into a studio debate slot or to dump the section altogether.
BBC insiders believe that the Corporation will decide against a return to London as that would look like “an admission of failure” after the relocation to the North-West in April. Several BBC former Breakfast stars, including main anchor Sian Williams and sports presenter Chris Hollins, quit the show because they did not want to relocate. In July it was revealed that in one week the show had to conduct 12 interviews about political and business stories with London-based guests who did not want to make the 400-mile round trip to Salford.
A BBC Breakfast spokesman said: “There are no plans to move any part of BBC Breakfast back to London. On the contrary the show is working very well from Salford and we’re delighted with the calibre of guests and experts regularly appearing.”
BBC chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, who leaves today, has criticised its incestuous London-based culture of executives who eat together, drink together, and marry and “have affairs with each other”. She said it risked becoming “above itself”.
