Middle class favourite BBC4 set for axe in bid to fill broadcaster's £500million funding black hole

By NICHOLAS PYKE and CHRIST HASTINGS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY Published: 22:02, 11 July 2026 | Updated: 22:20, 11 July 2026 The 'youth-obsessed' BBC is set to axe its arts and culture channel BBC4 and invest in YouTube and TikTok – a move described by furious insiders as a betrayal of the traditional viewers who still pay the licence fee. The BBC is scrambling to make savings after discovering a £500million hole in its budget and has announced a bloodbath of cuts, axeing 2,000 jobs along with established Radio 4 shows such as The World Tonight and Midnight News. But The Mail on Sunday understands the cuts will go much further and include whole channels such as BBC3 and BBC4. There are also fears that the BBC Scotland channel will be axed. The corporation's budget has lost £1.3billion over the past decade and is under pressure as growing numbers of viewers refuse to pay the £180 licence fee. The BBC's new director-general, Matt Brittin has responded by promising to protect content on digital channels and platforms 'as audiences move online'. Yet senior insiders say this punishes established viewers who still pay the licence fee. Some fear BBC arts and culture programmes and other 'niche content' will eventually be relegated to YouTube or elsewhere on the internet. 'It seems inconceivable that they won't abolish BBC3 and 4,' said a well-placed source. 'They need to save a lot of money. It's a question of making cuts for the immediate term but also for the long term.  'The bosses know they have to cut the BBC's core expenditure. And part of that means getting rid of broadcasting with high cost-to-audience ratios. Axeing BBC3 and 4 are obvious ways of saving money.' People pictured walking outside BBC Broadcasting House in London on June 18 New BBC Director-General Matt Brittin pictured arriving at Broadcasting House for his first day Despite being the home of culture and classics, BBC4 gets less than 1 per cent of total 'linear' viewers on most evenings. 'If you put money into targeting digital and social broadcasting then you're reaching people who are young. And that's a tick,' continued the source.  'But will young people who see a video clip then decide they want to pay £180 for a licence fee? I can guarantee that pretty much everyone who tunes into The World Tonight has a TV licence. Yet that's the sort of show they're cutting.' The MoS understands that the BBC's huge budget shortfall was only discovered when a new head of finance, Bérangère Michel, was hired earlier this year. Announcing the first cuts last month, Mr Brittin said he would concentrate on programmes with the 'highest audience value and impact' and would meet audiences 'where they are'.  He has also announced the closure of Radio 4's Moneybox Live and Crossing Continents.  The MoS understands that the BBC InDepth website will be cut and that Asian Network is at risk. This is a testing time for the BBC with its government charter due for renewal at the end of next year. Former BBC Radio 4 host John Humphrys criticised the flagship Today programme for being too 'gushing' Mr Brittin seemed to give up the fight to retain the licence fee last week when he described it as a 'busted flush' to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. Only 80 per cent of the BBC's 23million viewers pay the £180 fee. Yet, there remains uncertainty over what might replace it. It comes as former BBC executive James Purnell is due to take over as Andy Burnham's Chief of Staff.  One of his first policy decisions will be whether to switch off free-to-air television in 2034. Mr Purnell was the CEO of Flint Global, a lobbying firm which has been central in an effort to persuade the Government to switch off multi-channel terrestrial TV. Ministers are consulting on whether to move all TV viewing online after 2034, removing access to over 70 channels unless viewers have a broadband connection. This could affect the elderly and those on low incomes or in rural areas. Humphrys: Today show too 'gushing' John Humphrys has branded Radio 4's flagship Today programme 'irritating'. The broadcaster – who left the show in 2019 after presenting it for more than three decades – said he increasingly found himself 'shouting at the radio' because of the on-air antics of some its presenters. In The Guardian yesterday, Humphrys, 82, pictured, famed for his abrasive interview style, said relationships between some interviewers and their interviewees were now too cosy. He wrote: 'You will most certainly have spotted the gratuitous gratitude expressed by host and guest to each other.  'Increasingly rare is the guest who doesn't feel the need to curry favour with his interviewer... There's a gushing contest between host and guest. Some presenters are more guilty than others.' He also criticised some presenters' tendency of congratulating each other for their contributions and the use of 'y'know' and 'I mean' mid-sentence, which can leave the listener 'grinding their teeth'.