Overview
- Ken Bruce told the Telegraph this week that the BBC often alters successful programmes to chase younger viewers and that those changes can ‘kill off’ shows.
- He used A Question of Sport — which was revamped and then axed in 2023 after 53 years — as an example of a format that lost its audience after attempts to renew it.
- Bruce left BBC Radio 2 in 2023 and moved to Greatest Hits Radio, where he says the station targets listeners aged roughly 40 to 70 and draws more than three million daily listeners to his show.
- His comments come after the BBC’s March pay disclosures and the high‑profile sacking of Scott Mills, developments that have intensified public attention on presenter pay and governance.
- The debate links programming strategy, funding pressures and talent migration to commercial rivals, and raises a practical question for the BBC about whether refreshing schedules will reach new audiences without losing loyal ones.