BBC presenter reacts as major show axed months after network buys Meghan Markle series

The as part of a 130-person job cut programme in its news division. The show's host, Stephen Sackur, announced the "sad" news on social media earlier this month.

The 60-year-old, who is a self-proclaimed "BBC lifer", having joined the broadcaster in 1986 as a trainee, said he was unprepared for the shock news, admitting he was "gobsmacked" by the announcement.

The broadcaster said he was "really upset, although not visibly," in a candid new interview.

During the chat, the HARDtalk presenter was quizzed on the fact that his programme was axed shortly after the BBC had purchased several series of Suits, the US legal drama starring , for an undisclosed figure.

"Well, I've never watched Suits," Stephen told The Times.

The BBC announced in March it had acquired the drama from NBCUniversal and would screen it on TV channels and as a boxset on iPlayer.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared as paralegal Rachel Zane in the original show, which premiered in 2011 and ended in 2019. However, she left in 2017 after her whirlwind romance with .

The legal drama became the most watched show on Netflix last year.

Meanwhile, the Beeb has dropped HARDtalk despite it being a staple for current affairs. Stephen was told HARDtalk would be axed next March as part of the BBC's latest cuts round, eliminating 155 roles across its news operations.

Stephen's show is broadcast in 200 countries, with an estimated viewing figure of up to 70 million.

The presenter said that HARDtalk's cost is "tiny" compared to other shows, and he is determined to keep the show going.

He told the publication: "We've got a few months left and I can absolutely promise you that we'll bid for Tim Davie before the lights are finally switched off".

Along with HARDtalk, the BBC is closing the bespoke Asian Network News service, with the station instead taking Newsbeat bulletins and commissioning a new locally-made current affairs show.

BBC boss Deborah Turness said the latest cuts will "help meet the BBC's savings and reinvestment challenge".