BBC axes raft of Radio 4 programmes including You and Yours and Thinking Allowed as part of £500m cost-cutting drive

Published: 08:02 EDT, 8 October 2026 | Updated: 08:40 EDT, 8 October 2026 The BBC is axing a slew of Radio 4 programmes, including You and Yours as well as Thinking Allowed amid its £500million cost-cutting drive.Listeners will say goodbye to the programmes as the broadcaster makes 'difficult decisions' for 'significant savings'.The production team behind You and Yours is developing a 'refreshed' consumer programme as the long-running show comes to an end, the BBC said.It added the new show will work both on air and on demand while also building 'on Radio 4's tradition of original reporting and holding organisations to account'.Meanwhile, Thinking Allowed, as well as the arts and ideas programme which investigates AI, Free Thinking and The Artificial Human, will also face the chopping block.Open Country will also be ending as the broadcaster is set to reduce the number of podcasts on BBC Sounds 'to make space for new formats'.BBC 5 Live will also see a reduction in commissioning spend on schedule and sports podcasts from 2027.Jonathan Wall, director of BBC Sounds, said: 'We are reshaping BBC speech audio to build a strong future for trusted journalism, distinctive storytelling and programmes that bring people together. Listeners will say goodbye to the programmes as the broadcaster makes 'difficult decisions' for 'significant savings' amid its £500million cost-cutting driveYou and Yours as well as Thinking Allowed, presented by Laurie Taylor (pictured) are set to be axed It comes as the BBC announced it was seeking to make £500million in savings (Pictured: BBC director general Matt Brittin)'By commissioning fewer programmes overall, we can focus our investment and make our best shows work across broadcast, on demand and different formats.'That means accelerating growth on our own digital platforms and reaching more people beyond the BBC, while maintaining the strength of Radio 4 and 5 Live, the country's two biggest speech radio stations.'These are difficult decisions, and they are not based on cost alone. We need to make significant savings while investing for the future. I am extremely grateful to the teams behind the programmes affected, and we will support colleagues and work closely with unions throughout consultation.'Thinking Allowed, Free Thinking and The Artificial Human will be replaced with two year-round weekly programmes.One will explore the ideas shaping our lives and the wider world, while the other will examine the impact of technology and AI.Farming Today's weekend edition is set to expand, as will Start The Week and In Our Time, which will be extended by an hour.It comes as the BBC announced it was seeking to make £500million in savings.In June, it explained £160million of the savings needed by 2028 would be made across news, nations and content divisions with around 2,000 jobs expected to be cut as part of the process. Last month, BBC Sport announced 41 job losses as the broadcaster cut its overnight and lunchtime sport bulletins.Earlier this year, the broadcaster also said BBC Breakfast would no longer air on Sunday.It also said production staff on Newsnight and Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg would be merged.The BBC's latest annual report detailed how the corporation's financial outlook 'deteriorated' in the second half of 2025.