BBC presenter Clive Myrie is set to replace suspended Huw Edwards on News at Ten, insiders claim
- Clive Myrie is being touted as a potential frontman of BBC News by insiders
Clive Myrie looks poised to replace suspended newsreader Huw Edwards as the host of BBC’s News at Ten, insiders have revealed.
Myrie, 59, featured prominently in a three-minute video prepared by BBC News’ chief executive Deborah Turness last month, which she billed as her ‘mission statement’.
The clip showcased a handful of presenters talking about ‘values’ that Turness wants the organisation to focus on- clarity, courage, fairness, respect and transparency.
According to insiders, Myrie’s role was easily the most apparent and he also delivered Turness’s key line – ‘We will never forget that your trust is earned’, The Times reports.
Staff who logged into the all-hands digital meeting on September 12 say Myrie’s standing within the BBC appears to be on the rise.
Clive Myrie looks poised to replace suspended newsreader Huw Edwards as the host of BBC ‘s News at Ten, insiders have revealed
Huw Edward was suspended in July, following claims he paid sums of cash to a young person and received explicit pictures
READ MORE: BBC NEWS PRESENTER APPEARS RED-FACED WHEN HUW EDWARDS POPS ON SCREEN
As Huw Edwards is not expected to return to his frontman duties, many see Myrie’s succession as almost assured.
A rival presenter said: ‘In a sense it’s already out there, isn’t it? Clive Myrie’s presenting the News at Ten.’
It is not thought any announcement will be made until the corporation decides whether there is any future for Edwards, who was its highest paid journalist earning between £435,000 and £440,000a year.
The anchor, who earned plaudits for his presenting during coverage of the Queen’s death and funeral last year, is still subject to a fact-finding investigation by the BBC.
Edward was suspended in July following claims he paid sums of cash to a young person and received explicit pictures, as well as allegedly sending inappropriate messages to some colleagues. Police found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
The gap left by Edwards leaves the door open for others to present next year’s general election coverage, with Myrie a possible contender along with Sophie Raworth, Fiona Bruce, Laura Kuenssberg, Nick Robinson and others.
Turness was appointed to her role in January 2022 after previously being at the helm of ITV News and Cannel 4 News producer ITN, where she earned a salary of £400,000.
ITN chief executive Deborah Turness was announced as the BBC’s new chief executive of news and current affairs in January last year. Insiders claim Myrie is a key part of vision for the channel
The BBC is aiming to reduce £400 million from its annual budget by 2027, putting Turness and other BBC chiefs under pressure to make cuts.
In March, the BBC announced it would show 1,000 fewer hours of new television programmes this year under its new budget.
Last year, the government froze the licence fee at £159 for two years, leaving a hole in the corporation’s coffers although the licence fee will rise in line with inflation from next year.
Gill Hind, head of TV at media advisory firm Enders Analysis, said: ‘The licence fee has been completely squeezed over the last ten, 12 years.
‘So in reality, between 2010 and 2022, they’re on about 30 per cent less in real terms, and over that period they’ve had to make a huge number of cuts. The BBC, like a lot of companies, has some sort of fat, but they’ve pretty much cut all of that out.
‘We reckon it will end up having to save more than £400 million, because the number of licence fee payers is going down. So when you’re at that level, and if you’ve done a huge amount of cuts, you then get to the stage of: where do you cut next?’
BBC News has made cuts through a spate of redundancies in recent years.
Last year, it hit headlines when it announced it would merge is 24-hour BBCNews and Wolrd News channels – leading several presenters to lose their jobs.
Five of these -Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera – have remained on payroll despite not appearing on air for over six months.
The BBC has launched an internal inquiry into whether the recruitment process for presenter roles in the merged news channel was appropriate.
Cuts cross local BBC radio also led to a wave of strikes earlier this year, as more resources was channeled into digital news.
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