Turn on, tune in, drop off . . . staff member snoozes
The napping night-shifters were snapped by an angry colleague on the BBC News Channel, who complained it was 'difficult to work with someone snoring next to you'
BBC workers have been accused of wasting licence payers’ money after several were photographed dozing at their desks.
The napping night-shifters were snapped by an angry colleague on the BBC News Channel at Broadcasting House, London.
The furious employee said: “It’s very difficult to work with someone snoring next to you.”
In the snaps, snoozing workers are seen kipping at their desks while getting paid for a BBC News shift.
One brazen man was photographed wearing an eye mask to shield his eyes from the office lights.
Nearby another dozes with a flat-cap over his face — and a furious colleague who took the snaps said one man even carries a duvet and pillow and naps for up to six hours.
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
The whistle-blower said: “In a 12-hour shift I would estimate some staff do around an hour of work.”
“You can look around and there are three or four people in a row with their feet up and soundly asleep.
“I started taking photos as a joke but it’s not funny any more.
“Viewers and licence payers will be shocked by the wastage.”
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Contracted BBC staff are paid from £40,000 to £75,000 a year.
And freelancers earn up to £450 — three times the annual £147 licence fee — for a 12-hour stint.
That includes an £80 bonus for working the night shift.
MP Peter Bone added: “It’s extraordinary that licence fee payers are effectively paying for people to have a nice kip at work. Someone at the BBC must get to grips with this.
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
“If it was a private company these people would’ve been sacked.”
The photos were taken between late 2013 and this April in the newsroom in the basement of Broadcasting House, central London.
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
Around 150 workers are on night duty in the room — seen in the background on BBC News at Six and BBC News at Ten.
At night the studio is turned off but staff should be busy producing hourly radio news bulletins, content for World Service radio and BBC World TV, plus video packages for the Breakfast Show.
The source added: “There are far too many managers so once they have delegated, there isn’t anything for them to do — so they go to sleep or watch Netflix.
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“The next management doesn’t get in until 8am. There’s so much dead time. They even say to staff, ‘Watch what you want, as long as it’s not full screen or the viewers will see’.
“Someone’s asleep at their desk every night. We get an hour and a half break but some people take the p***.
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“Some in these photos are very qualified and have been there 20 years. It’s so lazy.”
“I’m not for privatisation usually but the BBC needs it. You’d never get away with sleeping at your desk in another newsroom.”
Tory Andrew Rosindell said: “Working through the night can be strenuous but such obvious overstaffing and idle work is exploiting the system.”
SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE
BBC News has a £63million annual budget. But it is facing cuts as the corporation prepares to lose £650million from the abolition of licence fees for the over-75s in 2020.
Earlier this year the Beeb faced a sexism row when it was revealed news anchor Huw Edwards is paid up to £599,999 a year and Fiona Bruce just £299,999.
The BBC said today: "This is a misleading story about people working a long night shift. When they take a break, whether they walk around the block, go for a cup of tea or just simply rest, that’s surely up to them.
“The BBC is hugely grateful to its journalists who work through the night to make sure the country has the best possible news service when it wakes up in the morning.”
- GOT a snap of someone sleeping on the job? Call 020 7782 4104 or email [email protected]
Boobs and blunders at Beeb
THE sleepyheads’ newsroom has been the scene of several dozy gaffes.
A pair of breasts appeared on BBC News at 10 this summer.
The saucy clip from vampire series True Blood was seen on a computer screen behind presenter Sophie Raworth.
BBC
In 2013 newsreader Simon McCoy read the headlines while clutching a slab of A4 paper he’d mistaken for a tablet computer.
In 2006 staff got in a taxi driver for a live interview thinking he was an IT expert
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
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