Cuts to BBC Sport are just the “starter course for a bloodbath”, insiders warned, with TV channels and radio services set to close under a brutal savings drive that will mean the loss of thousands of jobs.
Staffers at the BBC’s Salford base were said to be in tears at the news earlier this week that 41 roles will be cut and sports bulletins axed on the News Channel in a bid to save £2.6m.
The cuts have prompted threats of strike action amid reports of a “mutiny” against Sports boss Alex Kay-Jelski. It comes amid a controversial shift to a digital-first strategy and a rolling series of cuts announcements in other departments, T understands.
British rapper Yung Filly to face rape retrial
British rapper Yung Filly will face a rape retrial in Australia next June after a jury failed to reach a verdict in an earlier trial.
Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was charged with the alleged rape and assault of a fan after performing at a nightclub in Perth in 2024.
No decision for rape charges
In July, a jury acquitted the 31-year-old of three counts of rape, one of assault and one of strangulation but found him guilty of two assault charges.
No decision was reached for three rape charges, which Barrientos has denied.
He is understood to have returned to the UK after the court granted him permission to leave Australia as part of his bail conditions.
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Sentencing to take place after retrial
Perth’s district court has set 15 June as the start date for the retrial, which is expected to last eight days.
Sentencing for the two assault charges that the jury found Barrientos guilty of will take place after the retrial.
Barrientos is known for his work with the YouTube collective Beta Squad and has previously appeared in the celebrity version of on Channel 4.
What the court heard in first trial
Barrientos had been on tour in Australia when he was accused of sexually assaulting the woman in his hotel room after he performed in Hillarys, a coastal suburb of Perth.
- The court heard that the social media star had consensual sex with the fan in his hotel room, before she alleged he turned violent and refused to stop.
- During the trial, Barrientos told the court that he had “fancied” the woman when they met at the concert venue.
- He had been in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier from the general area.
- He said the “vibes were good” between him and the woman when they arrived at his hotel later.
Prosecution calls Filly ‘entitled’
During the first trial’s closing arguments, prosecutor Danielle Clarke said Barrientos was an “entitled” man with a “moderate degree of fame” who had violated the fan “in the most intrusive way possible”.
His defence lawyer argued that the accuser’s evidence was full of “inconsistencies, embellishments and outright lies”.
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The UK’s pharmacy blackspots
Nearly 300,000 people have seen their local pharmacy shut this year, with dozens closing in shortage areas leaving patients with 17-mile round trips to pick up vital medicines.
Two sites closed per week
Analysis of NHS figures by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) revealed that 51 high-street pharmacies in England shut between January and August this year – the equivalent of two a week.
Of the total, 31 received government funding under a scheme to maintain vital access to medicines for patients in “healthcare shortage” areas.
The South West of England has been hit hardest by closures.
- Nine pharmacies closed across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
- Three pharmacies alone closed in the Somerset town of Taunton.
- Closures are forcing patients to travel significant distances to access emergency prescriptions as well as contraception and clinical advice, particularly on a weekend, patient groups and pharmacies have warned.
- The recent closure of a Lloyds Pharmacy in Long Rock, Penzance, left patients with an up to 1 hour and 20-minute journey by public transport to access their nearest pharmacy – a 17-mile round trip.
Why are pharmacies closing?
Pharmacies have seen real-terms cuts of 40 per cent to their funding since 2016. Since then, 1,500 pharmacies have closed – meaning 9.9 million patients in England have seen their local chemist close, analysis shows.
Despite a £340m Government boost to pharmacy funding in May, NHS analysis for the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) body shows community pharmacies still face a funding gap of more than £2bn.
Just one in seven pharmacies are profitable, a separate survey by CPE of more than 2,900 pharmacies in July revealed.
Patchy medicine access
When a pharmacy closes, it can create pockets where patients will find it harder to access medicines, collect prescriptions and get advice from their local pharmacy. Closures often happen in areas where healthcare support is needed most so it intensifies health inequalities.
Dr James Davies, director of research and insights at Community Pharmacy England
Pressure on other NHS services
NPA leaders urged the Government to reform NHS’s contract with pharmacies. Around 90 per cent of a pharmacy’s work is funded through the NHS, they added.
William Pett, of Healthwatch, said longer distances were “difficult for those with limited mobility or no access to transport” and that is “is no surprise that some people end up turning to other parts of the NHS when they cannot get the help they need in their community”.
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The groundbreaking new DNA brain tumour test
A groundbreaking new DNA test will be offered to patients with brain tumours as part of a new pilot study, which NHS officials say will reduce average diagnosis rates from weeks to days.
Experts say the rapid genomic test can confirm a diagnosis within two hours – meaning medics can know the precise type of tumour even during surgery.
Huge boost to personalised care
The NHS said the test will be piloted in specialist centres around England.
Personalised care
It could help patients get personalised care sooner and help enrol them on clinical trials which they may have missed out on.
Officials said brain tumours are “notoriously difficult” to diagnose.
How does it work?
The cutting-edge technology works by quickly analysing the DNA or genetic code of a small tumour sample taken during biopsy or surgery, helping doctors identify what type of brain tumour the patient has.
There are more than 100 different types of tumours, which range from slow-growing to aggressive cancers.
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This remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how we diagnose .
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England’s medical director, added that the test is a “huge leap forward” for patients.
This is a huge leap forward for patients – a faster diagnosis means they can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner, while for some patients it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England medical director
Health Secretary hails ‘incredible breakthrough’
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper called the technology an “incredible breakthrough”.
Dr Simon Newman of The Brain Tumour Charity added that it will help patients avoid the “‘cruel, traumatic’” experience of waiting weeks to find out which type of brain tumour they have and their prognosis.
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Why experts fear loss of rare flower shows the UK’s climate future
A rare flower may have gone extinct in southern England due to extreme heat and drought, in what experts fear is a “canary in the mine” for how climate change is affecting biodiversity.
Field gentian all but wiped out
Until recently, the field gentian was abundant in the New Forest, Hampshire.
It was previously thought these populations could survive hot summers, due to their sheer size – often more than 5,000 plants at each site – and their ability for seeds to move with livestock into more sheltered areas.
But successive heatwaves and drought – in the third extreme summer in five years – may have led to their loss from southern England.
Rare flower missing for two years
The Species Recovery Trust has been unable to locate a single field gentian plant in the New Forest for the second year in a row.
Dominic Price, director of the charity, said the purple flower grew in dry or “skeletal” grasslands, which are on the “absolute front line” of climate change as they become parched and dead in hot, dry weather.
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This loss of what was such an abundant plant is deeply worrying, and in many ways, it feels like a canary in the mine for how climate change is likely to accelerate species loss.
Dominic Price, director of the Species Recovery Trust
Is it gone for ever?
- Price said “there’s potential for a miracle” with a wet summer next year helping the plant stage a comeback.
- In the summer of 2022, when UK temperatures soared to 40°C for the first time, field gentian populations crashed in the south of England, and went extinct in Devon.
- But populations recovered slightly the following year.
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The Reform MPs who face losing their seats according to new poll
Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman are among four Reform UK MPs who would lose their seats if a general election were held tomorrow, fresh polling by YouGov shows.
Falling behind the Tories
Tory defector Danny Kruger and Sarah Pochin – who beat Labour in a 2025 by-election – would also be unseated, according to the leading UK pollster’s first large-scale election modelling since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Although the party’s numbers of MPs would hugely increase, it would have fewer seats than the Tories overall, marking a significant fall when compared to last year’s polling.
How a Labour government could be formed
The poll predicts that Labour would be the biggest party in a hung parliament.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey recently ruled out forming a coalition with Reform or the Tories but stopped short of excluding a coalition with Labour.
However, to form a Parliamentary majority in this scenario, Burnham would also need to work with the SNP or Plaid Cymru.
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Reform expanding its operations
The polling comes as Reform is preparing a huge expansion of its operations around the country, targeting London, the South East, the South West and the East of England.
- Analysis of Reform job adverts by The i Paper suggests the party is pumping resources into areas where it wants to keep its high-profile Tory defectors.
There’s turmoil in the Liberal Democrats. And MPs are struggling for direction
Stagnant in the polls but still a potential kingmaker, the party’s at a crossroads – even its own members are asking what comes next.
Record number of assaults on Britain’s trains – what to know
Assaults on Britain’s railways have hit record levels, new figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have revealed.
The numbers
The data published on Thursday showed there were 13,464 reported assaults on people who were not railway workers between April 2025 and March 2026, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year.
- 11,289 assaults on rail workers on mainline networks were also recorded, an increase of 12 per cent. This included 6,390 incidents of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats.
Working to make railways safer
No-one on the railway should be subjected to violence, threats or abuse. We’re working with industry and our trade union colleagues to address work-related violence and harassment, including through recent guidance which sets out what we expect from rail employers.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector railways
Walkers reveals three new crisp flavours
Three new “gold” flavours of Walkers are now available for crisp lovers. The new snacks mark the brand’s biggest revamp in 80 years.
What are the flavours and how much are they?
The new flavours are black truffle, sea salt and olive oil and Somerset mature cheddar and onion.
Each pack is branded as “Premium Potato Crisps”.
The crisps come in 140g bags and can currently be bought for £2 each.
Where you can buy them
The entire range launched on Ocado officially today, but from October 12, they will be widely available in major UK supermarkets for a cheaper price of £1.50.
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The £30m BBC Three youth channel could be closed while a new local radio shake-up will see 90 jobs go and six regional shows axed and replaced by live sport, saving £9m, The i Paper can reveal.
BBC Wales will lose 45 roles, reflecting “changing audience habits” and the “need to ensure BBC Wales remains sustainable”.
There are also fears about the future of the BBC Scotland channel, which has cost more than £200m and struggled to attract viewers since its 2019 launch.
The BBC has said up to 2,000 jobs will be lost – around 10 per cent of its workforce – as it seeks to make £500m in savings amid a funding crisis.
One staffer said: “It’s a bloodbath. We’re told to expect hundreds of jobs going over the next week across every department. Sport is just the starter.”
Employees are already threatening strike action over a pay dispute. Some are now accusing the BBC of targeting younger viewers, with social media impressions and clicks the dominant metric of success at the expense of older, loyal licence-fee payers.
One figure who attended an all-staff meeting in Salford called by Kay-Jelski to explain the cuts said the presentation focused on “challenging YouTube and TikTok for the 16-25s”.
Another summed up the mutinous mood, saying morale was at an “all-time low”. Bosses presented the news like a “victory lap rather than a job cuts announcement”, they claimed.
Sports events dropped
Editors, journalists and video producers are among those at risk under the Sports cuts, which will see a net loss of 36 jobs.
BBC Sport has already dropped events including the Boat Race, Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games as well as long-running series including .
“It’s an obsession with social media impact and the under-35s at the expense of sport and sports journalism,” said another staffer.
“At the [men’s football] World Cup, the bosses were most excited about Wayne Rooney rowing down the Hudson River in a video stunt. Now he’s got a new celebrity quiz podcast (Can You Beat Wayne Rooney?). The priorities are wrong.”
However, others within the BBC believe viewers will not notice the end of brief overnight sports bulletins on the News channel.
The Sport department is shifting its limited resources to reach audiences who no longer watch programmes like the axed on broadcast channels.
Inverdale: ‘You can’t live in yesteryear’
Director-General Matt Brittin, who promised that 10 per cent of “senior leaders” would also face the axe in the cuts, is said to be unsentimental about driving BBC investment into areas of growth.
John Inverdale, the voice of BBC sport for 30 years across radio and TV, told The i Paper: “This is really tough for the individuals who are losing their jobs, but when you have to save £2.6m, something has to give.
“Every department is making their share of cuts. People get their sports news online first, they aren’t waiting for TV bulletins.”
The presenter, who is now consultant on Track, a commercial sports and music station, added: “You can’t live in yesteryear. They have to think about the BBC of today, and more importantly, tomorrow.”
But bosses were accused of staggering the cuts announcements to influence discussions with ministers over a new Charter and a replacement funding mechanism for the licence fee.
On Thursday, a further 45 post closures were announced at BBC Wales with jobs going in its news operation, budget cuts to Radio Wales and the end of public tours of BBC Central Square in Cardiff.
“They are drip-feeding the cuts to maximise the pain,” claimed one staffer. “People are being thrown under the bus to show the Government how desperate the financial position is during the Charter and licence fee negotiations.”
The BBC isn’t bluffing, sources insist. Cash reserves at its public service arm slumped by 66 per cent in the last financial year to just £125m, as the corporation battles the impact of cost inflation and an accelerating rate of licence fee cancellations.
Bosses have examined plans to close BBC Four and move content from the largely archive arts and history channel to BBC Two or axe BBC Three as a standalone broadcast channel, The i Paper understands.
Money saved from running BBC Three, which has already dropped for cost reasons, could be used to produce more youth-focused content for YouTube, which the BBC said is a major priority.
The CBeebies and CBBC channels could be brought together to create a single proposition for children, with some BBC Three content running on CBBC in the evenings.
Changes to local radio will see more programming shared across regions, whilst 5 Live will broadcast a new late night speech show across all local stations.
Local breakfast shows, news bulletins and football commentaries will remain with the BBC seeking cuts outside of peak listening hours. The BBC has also boosted investment in its digital online news alongside its radio cuts.
But one veteran radio figure said: “The local radio audience is older and the more they cut, the fewer people tune in. But people want to know what is happening in their area.
“The cuts are destroying what is unique about the BBC – its public service mission.”
The National Union of Journalists warned that the BBC risks becoming trapped in an avoidable “doom spiral”, harming both workers and UK audiences, if the nation’s broadcaster continues its regime of “brutal” cuts.
Industrial action looms after unions, including the NUJ and Bectu, rejected a BBC pay rise offer of 1.5 to 2.1 per cent, following complaints that it was below UK inflation of 2.8 per cent.
The BBC said it would not comment on speculation.
But a corporation source said: “We were clear that further savings across all divisions would be set out in the coming months, with every department contributing, and this would include a review of our broadcast TV channels and our radio network portfolio.”
The Sport changes were “about reducing duplication and simplifying operations so we can put more of our effort into the coverage that matters most to audiences and continue delivering distinctive, high-quality sport across every platform”.
The source added: “The strategy isn’t broadcast versus digital, or one audience group versus another – it’s about reaching as much of the audience as possible, across both.”
Amid the fury over cuts, the BBC announced on Thursday that the much-loved children’s show will be revived for a “new generation”.
Independent producers are invited to pitch for a £2.5m contract to make the series, which first ran from 1964 to 1988.
The new version will include “companion content for the new CBeebies Parenting YouTube channel, providing practical play ideas, expert guidance and resources for parents and carers”.