BBC One’s Morning Live makes Manchester move
BBC One’s Morning Live has relocated to Manchester as part of a drive to spread opportunities beyond the capital.
The decision was revealed last year as part of the BBC’s Across the UK strategy, which also includes MasterChef moving to Birmingham and Top Gear production moving to Bristol.
As part of this push, the BBC pledged to make UK-wide TV production, with at least 60 per cent of network TV commissions by spend to be outside of London.
The broadcaster also said that 50 per cent of network radio and music spend will be outside London by 2027/28.
BBC Breakfast has been broadcast from Salford since 2012, which last year’s announcement said would be “the main base for our digital and technology team”.
Morning Live attracts about 1.2 million viewers a day and the show’s content editor Martin Bruce commented: “As you walk through the city, immediately you’re soaking up everything that’s going on in the north-west and in Manchester. Any of the team, when they come in, are going to be seeing that every single day. I think it’s really important to be living that life and in amongst it all.”
Speaking last week, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “I think for me it is utterly critical that we take our output and push it outside the M25.
“That is not really about saving money, it is about spending licence fee payers’ money across the UK. And we know that that infuses itself into the programme-making.”