Andrew Marr has announced he is leaving the BBC after 21 years.
The veteran journalist and broadcaster, who has presented the BBC’s flagship political programme the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday mornings for the past 16 years, said he will be moving to Global “to write and present political and cultural shows and to write for newspapers”.
Breaking the news on Twitter, Marr, 62, told his followers he is “keen to get my own voice back”, adding that the new roles would give him “a new freedom” to do journalism with “no filter”.
“Personal announcement. After 21 years, I have decided to move on from the BBC,” his statement posted on social media said.
“l leave behind many happy memories and wonderful colleagues. But from the New Year I am moving to Global to write and present political and cultural shows, and to write for newspapers.
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“I think British politics and public life are going to go through an even more turbulent decade, and as I’ve said, I am keen to get my own voice back.”
“I have been doing the Andrew Marr show every Sunday morning for 16 years now and that is probably more than enough time for anybody!”
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A statement released by broadcaster Global said Marr will present brand new programmes on LBC and Classic FM next year, including an opinion-led programme broadcast on LBC “where he will give his view on the biggest issues of the moment”.
A new programme on Classic FM will see the veteran broadcaster playing music and “interviewing guests from the worlds of politics and the arts”.
Marr will also write a regular column for LBC’s website and present a new weekly podcast for Global, the broadcaster said.
The announcement comes less than a month after The Guardian reported that Laura Kuenssberg was in talks to step down as the BBC’s political editor.
The newspaper suggested that after six years at the helm, Kuenssberg could become a presenter on the Today programme as part of a major reshuffle of senior on-air staff.
Marr’s departure means there will be a vacancy to take his political programme’s prime time Sunday morning slot.
Among those likely to be strongly tipped to take over include BBC Radio 4 Today presenters Mishal Husain and Nick Robinson and outgoing BBC North America Editor Jon Sopel.
Marr said he will be taking up his new roles “from the New Year”.
In a statement released by Global, he said: “Coming to Global gives me a new freedom – to do fast-paced, very regular political journalism on LBC with no filter, in entirely my own voice.
“On Classic FM, I’ll be exploring my love of classical music, and culture generally, with some surprising guests. I feel I’m joining a young, hungrily ambitious and exciting company and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, paid tribute to Marr for his long service to the broadcaster.
“Andrew Marr has been a brilliant journalist and presenter during his time at the BBC.
“He leaves an unmatched legacy of outstanding political interviews and landmark programmes.
“We wish him well for the next chapter.”
Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s outgoing director of news and current affairs, added: “Throughout his long and distinguished career at the BBC, Andrew has been a firm favourite with our audiences.
“Andrew started at the BBC as a knowledgeable and insightful political editor and went on to become a feature of the UK’s Sunday mornings, on Sunday AM, which became the Andrew Marr Show. He is a fantastic presenter and interviewer, whose wisdom and skill will be a loss to our screens.
“We thank him greatly for his years of service and wish him the best of luck in his new role.”
The creators of Friends have revealed that parts of the script for the final episode were leaked by an insider ahead of the show airing.
Simply titled The Last One, millions tuned in as the episode brought the hit comedy to a close 20 years ago, on 6 May 2004, finally resolving the decade-long “will they, won’t they?” romance between Ross and Rachel.
Looking back at the final shows in an interview with NBC’s Today show in the US, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane revealed details of the leak.
“Oh my god, we tried so hard to keep it a secret!” Kauffman said. “We were desperate to keep it a secret and it got out. And it was an inside job.”
Scripts sent out ahead of the premiere of the final episode were numbered, Crane explained.
“We knew how many people knew what it was going to be,” he said. “So it did, through an element of… it became a behind-the-scenes detective show.
“It was frustrating, but at the end of the day, what are you gonna do?”
Part of the script that leaked included the details of Ross and Rachel finally getting back together, Kauffman said.
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But when asked if the mystery of who released the information was solved, she replied with a smile: “Ish.”
“Ish,” Crane repeated.
After 10 series and 236 episodes, as well as Ross and Rachel’s reunion, the final instalment saw Monica and Chandler leaving their famous Manhattan apartment and moving to the suburbs as new parents to adopted twins.
Perry, who died last year, aged 54, wrote about the finale in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing.
“Before that final episode, I’d taken Marta Kauffman to one side,” he wrote. “‘Nobody else will care about this except me’, I said. ‘So may I please have the last line?'”
His character Chandler did indeed have the last line. As the Friends decide to go for one last coffee before the move, he simply asks, “Where?”, in a trademark sarcastic but poignant joke about the fact that so much of their time on screen has been spent in the Central Perk coffee shop.
“It’s incredibly poignant. It’s a legacy for him, one of his many legacies,” Kauffman said.
Friends has found a new generation of fans in recent years after being picked up by streaming sites.
Earlier this year, two scripts for The One With Ross’s Wedding, season four’s famous two-part finale filmed in London, sold at auction for £22,000 after being found in a bin.
The new music venue – which is set to become the largest in the UK when it does open, seating 23,500 people – has said it will now open on 14 May, when British rock band Elbow are scheduled to perform.
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Last week, the venue said it would be taking “a short pause to events… to fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists visiting the venue”.
American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie had been cancelled at the last minute the previous day, due to a “technical issue” during a soundcheck.
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What is happening with Co-op Live Arena?
Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive of US-based venue operator Oak View Group, apologised for the delays and to “all those that have been affected” and said staff were working “incredibly hard” to get the building ready for 14 May.
“As many of you will know, it’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people,” he said.
The issues began following a test event in April which led to Co-op Live announcing it would have to reschedule Kay’s stand-up shows. These were first moved to later dates in April before a second rescheduling to 23 and 24 May.
A gig by The Black Keys has also been moved to 15 May. Rodrigo’s 3 and 4 May dates were postponed, while A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s 1 May performance took place three days later, having moved to the city’s AO Arena.
The Eagles, Nicki Minaj, Pet Shop Boys, Liam Gallagher, Pearl Jam, The Killers and Eric Clapton are among the big-name acts scheduled to perform at the venue in the coming months, but so far only a test event by Rick Astley has gone ahead.
The arena’s general manager Gary Roden announced his resignation last month.
A Co-op Group spokesperson previously said: “Co-op is a sponsor and does not own or run the venue, and we have made it clear to Oak View Group, who are responsible for the building, that the impact on ticketholders must be addressed as a priority.
“We are pleased that they will shortly be putting plans in place to do so.”
They added that safety checks would be independently verified so Co-op members and other ticket holders “can be reassured that the venue has the very highest levels of security and safety measures”.
The Met Gala always produces the most memorable red carpet looks of the year.
Following this year’s theme, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, and a Garden Of Time dress code, the stars pulled out all the botanical stops with their outfits, with floral and garden-inspired fashion unsurprisingly dominating.