2,800 jobs under threat as BBC embarks on second round of cost-cutting

The BBC is believed to be on the verge of announcing up to 2,800 job losses as a part of cost cutting measures.

The Financial Times, which reported the figures, said the bulk of the cuts would be made in factual programming, including Planet Earth,Panorama and Top Gear.

Mark Thompson, director general at BBC, is seeking cuts amounting to 6% of the corporation’s annual £3bn budget for each of the next five years and is expected to outline his plans to the BBC Trust on 17 October.

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It is the second major round of job cuts in less than three years. Almost 3,800 posts were axed in March 2005, and the latest figure represents 12% of the BBC’s 23,000 workforce.

The cuts come in the wake of a number of incidents of “fakery” in its broadcasting, which has severly damaged the corporation’s public image, and were ffollowed by a number of senior level resignations including BBC1 controller, Peter Fincham..