‘I will not stay silent’ rages BBC presenter after long-running show axed – as network buys Meghan Markle series Suits
Date: 2024-10-29A BBC presenter has vowed he will ‘not stay silent’ after his long-running show was axed.
Earlier this month, it was revealed the programme would be ending after 25 years on air.
The Beeb axed investigative journalism show HARDtalk as part of a 130-person job cut programme in its news division.
Speaking to The Times, host Stephen Sackur admitted he was a “bit gobsmacked” by the decision.
Stephen, who revealed he “was upset, although not visibly”, added: “I didn’t stay silent. I think this is a mistake.”
Meanwhile, the BBC have bought up several series of Suits – the US legal drama starring Meghan Markle.
When asked his thoughts on this, Stephen simply replied: “Well, I’ve never watched Suits.”
HARDtalk first launched on BBC World News back in 1997 – with award-winning journalist Tim Sebastian as the original presenter.
The show usually airs on Monday through Thursday but will conclude its run in March 2025.
In an internal email sent out, news boss Deborah Turness said the decision would “help meet the BBC’s savings and reinvestment challenge.
Meanwhile, Stephen wrote on X at the time: “Today BBC News has announced plans to close HARDtalk after 3 decades holding the world’s politicians and powerbrokers to account.
“This is sad news for me personally, but much more important, I think it’s depressing news for the BBC…”
Sir Richard Attenborough was the show’s first-ever guest.
Political leaders, entertainers and ordinary people appeared over the years.
This included the likes of Robin Williams, Mia Khalifa and Irma Kurtz, among thousands of others.
Latest TV Show Axings
All of the shows we're saying goodbye to this year:
- The Masked Dancer, ITV
- Scarlett Moffatt’s Driving School, BBC
- The Lazarus Project, Sky
- Better, BBC
- Dance Monsters, Netflix
- Laura Whitmore & Oti Mabuse’s weekend shows, ITV
- Ross Kemp’s 72 Hours In…, Channel 5
- Rise and Fall, Channel 4
- Dead Boy Detectives, Netflix
As for Suits, the popular US drama originally aired from 2011 to 2019.
It followed Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a lawyer at a powerful Manhattan firm, hiding a big secret – he never attended law school.
Meghan, 43, played Rachel Zane, Mike’s love interest and later wife.
Suits lasted nine years – although Meghan and co-star Patrick left the main cast after series seven.
