The BBC's award-winning Victoria Derbyshire Show has been cancelled in a bid to cut costs. Amol Rajan, the BBC's media editor, said the programme was being pulled from the air because the cost was "deemed too high". He wrote on Twitter: "The Victoria Derbyshire Show is coming off air. I I understand @BBCNews is committed to Victoria + the (award-winning) journalism of the show. Cost of doing it on linear channel when savings are needed deemed too high. BBC declined to comment ahead of an announcement next week." He continued: "The show won awards at the RTS and from BAFTA. Victoria nominated for Best Presenter 4 years in a row - and won once. Digital impact was huge. Show was designed to reach audiences the BBC struggles to connect with, and it did – online."
The Victoria Derbyshire Show won a BAFTA in 2017
Fans have reacted with shock to the news, with one replying: "That's a great shame. In the run up to the election Victoria Derbyshire was one of few BBC interviewers who seemed to really challenge MPs who were just constantly trying to stay 'on script'. She did a great job. The whole show is good." Another added: "An organisation that values original journalism and underserved audiences should not be doing this. It's madness. #VictoriaLIVE consistently breaks huge stories, has won countless awards including a BAFTA and has broken new ground. Plus it has an outstanding team and presenter." And a third simply wrote: "This is astonishing. @VictoriaLIVE is the best there is at @BBCNews."
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The Victoria Derbyshire Show is a BAFTA-winning weekday current affairs programme that first came on air in 2015. It is currently broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC News every weekday from 10am to 11am. Victoria is yet to comment on the decision on social media, but Piers Morgan has tweeted to call it "madness". "Very strange decision," he wrote. "It was an excellent programme & @vicderbyshire is a superb journalist. Surely the BBC isn't finding the cash to pay for its gender pay fiasco by cancelling other women's shows?"