BBC to Close BBC Three, BBC Scotland and Radio 4 Extra as Broadcast Channels in 2027

The BBC will close BBC Three, BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4 Extra as broadcast channels in spring 2027, the corporation confirmed on Tuesday, October 20. The three services will leave television and radio schedules and move online, as the BBC works toward savings of 500 million pounds by 2028.

Director-General Matt Brittin set out the changes in a note to staff on Tuesday morning. "We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world," he said. "We all know that means tough choices."

What changes for viewers and listeners

BBC Scotland will stay on as a channel on BBC iPlayer, and its programmes will also appear on BBC One and BBC Two in Scotland. The BBC Scotland television channel launched on February 24, 2019.

BBC Three commissions will be available on iPlayer and on other platforms, including YouTube, and the BBC says it will increase investment in content for younger audiences. Programmes from Radio 4 Extra will move to BBC Sounds, and The Daily Service will be heard on BBC Sounds and local radio.

Brittin said much of what the three services carry now will still be found on iPlayer and Sounds, and that the confirmation would be hard for audiences and colleagues. The BBC has not announced exact closure dates, or how much the three closures themselves will save.

More than 100 BBC News roles to close

The channel closures came with a second round of job losses. BBC News will close just over 100 roles, worth about 5.5 million pounds, according to an email to staff from Rachel Jupp, the new director of BBC News. The staff affected have already been told. Roles will also go because of the broadcast closures, including ten in Scotland.

"We will continue to work closely with colleagues and trade unions throughout the consultation process and will do everything we can to minimise the need for compulsory redundancies," Jupp said. Deadline reported that the latest cuts take the savings BBC News has identified to 30.5 million pounds against a target of 51 million pounds, and that BBC Media Tech, which supports services such as iPlayer, has announced 110 role closures. Jupp plans more savings early in 2027, including a review of how presenters are used across video, audio and digital.

BBC Three goes online for a second time

This is the second time BBC Three has lost its broadcast channel. The service was online only from February 16, 2016 until February 1, 2022, when it returned as a full television channel. In its broadcast years it has been home to hits including Fleabag, Normal People and Killing Eve.

The performing arts union Equity called the end of Radio 4 Extra as a broadcast service a significant blow for audio artists, who are paid when archive programmes are repeated. Equity said only some of Radio 4 Extra's content will be on BBC Sounds from April 2027, which means less income for its members. The union said it has been assured that commissioning will not fall because of the moves.

The closures follow savings already announced across the BBC's nations, local services and Speech and Sounds. At the weekend the BBC said its series DIY SOS will be rested next year, and it cancelled plans for a new Archers studio in Digbeth.