Latest news with #non-BBC
Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC bans presenter from hosting heat pump podcast
The BBC has banned Evan Davis from hosting a podcast about heat pumps over concerns that the appliances are too controversial. The Radio 4 and Dragon's Den presenter, has hosted the Happy Heat Pump podcast for 20 episodes. But now he has been forced to give it up, telling listeners: 'Essentially, I am a BBC employee and they very kindly signed off on me doing this side hustle, non-BBC. 'But as the series has gone on – in fact, as the world has progressed over the last few months – they have become concerned that anything like this trying to inform people about heat pumps can be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as somehow treading on areas of public controversy. 'I take their shilling, they dictate the rules. They know they have to keep their presenters out of areas of public controversy and they have decided heat pumps can be controversial, so they've asked me not to be involved. So the Happy Heat Pump podcast does come to an end. 'It was a difficult decision, they're very unkeen to stop me doing things that I find rewarding … but they want us to stop.' The co-host of the podcast is Bean Beanland, director for growth and external affairs for the Heat Pump Federation. Beanland said he was 'gutted' by the decision and blamed it on the culture wars, adding he had been dismayed to visit the Telegraph website and read comments by readers opposed to heat pumps. 'It's quite extraordinary, really,' he said. 'You see this term 'culture war' being bandied around these days and it does seem to me that somehow the technologies that we espouse have fallen victim to some kind of culture war.' Davis said he understood wariness about heat pumps as 'people feel they're going to be told what to do by some nannying person and it's going to be more expensive and they resent that'. He said that the podcast was 'not here to sell you heat pumps' but joked to Beanland: 'I do slightly worry that you're here to sell heat pumps.' Beanland said he was not, and was simply trying to offer a balanced view. But Beanland likened the transition to heat pumps to other social changes which initially met resistance but are now widely accepted. He said: 'We've been through other things like this. Everyone now wears a seatbelt, or crash helmets on a bicycle.' A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC editorial guidelines are clear that anyone working for the BBC who does an external public speaking or writing engagement should not compromise the impartiality or integrity of the BBC or its content, or suggest that any part of the BBC endorses a third-party organisation, product, service or campaign.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘They dictate the rules': BBC tells PM's Evan Davis to stop hosting heat pump podcast
The BBC presenter Evan Davis has been told he can no longer host a podcast about heat pumps due to the corporation's concerns that discussing the technology risks 'treading on areas of public controversy'. The presenter of BBC Radio 4's PM programme had hosted 20 episodes of the Happy Heat Pump Podcast, which launched in 2024. It has covered issues around installing the technology, the cost, noise levels and the alternatives for people replacing their gas boilers. However, despite initially being given approval to go ahead with the non-BBC project, bosses told Davis the podcast risked exposing him to accusations of political bias. 'As the series has gone on – in fact as the world has progressed over the last few months – they have become concerned that anything like this trying to inform people about heat pumps can be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as somehow treading on areas of public controversy,' he told followers of the podcast's YouTube channel. 'I take their shilling, they dictate the rules. They have to try and keep their presenters out of areas of public controversy, and they have decided heat pumps can be controversial, so they've asked me not to be involved.' Related: Gary Lineker says he felt BBC wanted him to leave Match of the Day The widespread installation of heat pumps is seen as necessary to achieve the government's target of hitting net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Last month, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, dropped her party's support for the target. Davis said he believed the decision to stop him appearing on the podcast had been taken because of a link between heat pumps and the net zero target. Bean Beanland, a director at the Heat Pump Federation and Davis's co-presenter on the podcast, described the decision as 'quite extraordinary'. Douglas Parr, Greenpeace UK's policy director, said: 'As an impartial broadcaster, the BBC should not be pandering to attempts from the right to turn the world's most efficient home heating system into a culture war issue. What's next – cancelling Gardeners' World because of Monty Don's support for peat-free compost?' Davis said he received 'no remuneration at all' for the podcast and had personally paid its small costs for music, dissemination and microphone equipment. He said there was no link with the HPF, other than the fact it employed his co-host. However, he defended the broadcaster. 'While it's easy to be infuriated by the BBC and its caution on things like this – and of course, I do disagree with it in this case – I've never had the burden of actually having to run the BBC and make a hundred decisions a day, while people from all sides shout incessantly at me,' he said. 'I'm obviously free to leave if I don't like the restrictions that come with working here, but I choose not to because it is a great institution, the PM programme is in excellent shape, and they pay me handsomely.' The BBC has received criticism over its handling of environmental issues. In 2018, the broadcaster said it would stop 'both-sidesing' the climate crisis, admitting that it got some of its coverage 'wrong' by setting up debates with those who deny climate science. However, more recently, the broadcaster has given a platform to some who call for reduced action on the climate breakdown. Producers also accused the BBC of shelving a 2023 political programme by Sir David Attenborough that linked the UK's biodiversity loss to the climate crisis. Insiders said this was because of fears its themes of the destruction of nature would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the rightwing press. BBC guidelines state employees should not compromise the impartiality of the corporation in their outside work. A source said while the BBC is clear that climate change is happening, responses to it are a matter of public policy. They added that Davis's podcast only explored and promoted one possible solution. The BBC has previously come under pressure over the external projects of its presenters. Last year, the broadcaster Clive Myrie apologised for failing to declare at least £145,000 earned from external events and said he would stop doing them for the 'foreseeable future'.
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dragons' Den presenter Evan Davis banned by BBC from hosting 'controversial' heat pumps podcast - as Labour government makes them mandatory for all new builds
The BBC has banned Evan Davis from hosting his new podcast on heat pumps over fears it is a controversial topic. The Dragons Den presenter, 63, announced the independent podcast in December, describing it as a podcast 'about anything and everything to do with heat pumps'. But the former Newsnight host confirmed that the 20th episode, released this week would be its last. He said: 'Sorry to say, that after about 20 episodes, we're drawing it to a close at the request of the BBC which worries it may be seen as steering into areas of public controversy.' He added: 'The BBC legitimately regulates its presenters' external activities. And for good reason, they like us to avoid stepping into live arguments.' The BBC had initially given its approval to go ahead with the non-BBC project, but bosses have now told Davis the podcast risked exposing him to accusations of political bias. 'As the series has gone on – in fact as the world has progressed over the last few months – they have become concerned that anything like this trying to inform people about heat pumps can be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as somehow treading on areas of public controversy,' he told followers of the podcast's YouTube channel. 'I take their shilling, they dictate the rules. They have to try and keep their presenters out of areas of public controversy, and they have decided heat pumps can be controversial, so they've asked me not to be involved.' Davis received no remuneration for the podcast and had personally paid its small costs for music and audio recording equipment. Fans of the podcast were quick to lambast the decision of the corporation to force Evans to step down from his 'side hustle'. One said: 'This is sad news, that the BBC seems to be scared of its own shadow.' Another said: 'That's not good. Every area has the potential for public controversy.' One asked: 'Are there any other technologies whose existence is going to be banned by their beebships?' What are heat pumps and what do they cost? AIR SOURCE HEAT PUMPS Average cost: £10,000 Air source heat pumps absorb heat from the outside air at low temperature into a fluid to heat your house and hot water. They can still extract heat when it is as cold as -15C (5F). The heat output is greater than the electricity input – and they are therefore seen as energy efficient. There are two types: air-to-water and air-to-air. Installing a system costs up to £8,900 once the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant has applied. GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS Average cost: £20,000 Ground source heat pumps use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground, which can then heat radiators, warm air heating systems and hot water. They circulate a mixture of water and antifreeze around a ground loop pipe. Heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid and then passes through a heat exchanger. Installation costs between £15,000 to £30,000 depending on the length of the loop, and running costs will depend on the size of the home and its insulation. The £7,500 grant will lower the price on the installation. One joked: 'You don't want to fuel any controversy. Then again, with a heat pump you won't be fuelling anything in the first place.' Heat pumps run on electricity instead of gas, and warm buildings by absorbing and amplifying heat from the air, ground, or water. They are more efficient than gas boilers and can use electricity generated from increasingly clean sources, as wind and solar power replace polluting fossil fuels. But have courted controversy for the high cost of installing and running heat pumps and accusations that some models do not produce enough heat. The podcast is aimed primarily at consumers who are thinking about installing a heat pump, and episodes covered topics such as what a heat pump is, how it works, how to use one, and how much it costs to install. It came ahead of new 2025 rules, which mandate that all new homes built in the UK will be required to have a low-carbon heating system, typically a heat pump. Davis's cohost on the podcast is Bean Beanland, the Director for Growth and External Affairs for the Heat Pump Federation, the leading lobby group for the green technology. He described the decision by the BBC as 'quite extraordinary'. The show came about after the duo met a couple of times at events. For Evan, it's a topic he's interested in and wanted to explore, so the podcast largely takes the format of Evan posing questions to Bean as a heat pump aficionado. During the introduction to the first episode, Evan explained: 'This is a side hustle, nothing to do with my employer. It's a hobby. Joining me in the series is the great Bean Beanland. He knows as much about heat pumps as anyone in the country.' A BBC spokesperson told the Mail: 'The BBC editorial guidelines are clear that anyone working for the BBC who does an external public speaking or writing engagement should not compromise the impartiality or integrity of the BBC or its content, or suggest that any part of the BBC endorses a third-party organisation, product, service or campaign.' One BBC source said that Davis's podcast only explored and promoted one possible solution to climate change. Air-source heating pumps are seen as a key feature of the government's net-zero plans, with 18 per cent of the nation's greenhouse emissions coming from heating homes in 2021. However, take up of the eco-friendly systems has lagged far behind estimations, with just 18,900 homeowners purchasing the pumps under the government's grant scheme between May 2022 and May 2023. The two principal factors in this slow uptake have been identified as rising energy costs and a general lack of awareness around the technology. Although heat pumps are significantly more efficient than boilers, electricity prices are much higher than gas, meaning that the air-source pump systems have proven a more costly heating method than traditional boilers. Moreover, a 2024 survey found that over 30 per cent of Brits were not even aware of the technology or even the government's net-zero initiative itself. Just last week, Labour were forced to ditch plans to ban the sale of new gas boilers by 2035 as result of the slow implementation and skepticism surrounding air-source heat pumps.
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘They dictate the rules': BBC tells PM's Evan Davis to stop hosting heat pump podcast
The BBC presenter Evan Davis has been told he can no longer host a podcast about heat pumps due to the corporation's concerns that discussing the technology risks 'treading on areas of public controversy'. The presenter of BBC Radio 4's PM programme had hosted 20 episodes of the Happy Heat Pump Podcast, which launched in 2024. It has covered issues around installing the technology, the cost, noise levels and the alternatives for people replacing their gas boilers. However, despite initially being given approval to go ahead with the non-BBC project, bosses told Davis the podcast risked exposing him to accusations of political bias. 'As the series has gone on – in fact as the world has progressed over the last few months – they have become concerned that anything like this trying to inform people about heat pumps can be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as somehow treading on areas of public controversy,' he told followers of the podcast's YouTube channel. 'I take their shilling, they dictate the rules. They have to try and keep their presenters out of areas of public controversy, and they have decided heat pumps can be controversial, so they've asked me not to be involved.' The widespread installation of heat pumps is seen as necessary to achieve the government's target of hitting net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Last month Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, dropped her party's support for the target. Davis said he believed the decision to stop him appearing on the podcast had been taken because of a link between heat pumps and the net zero target. Bean Beanland, a director at the Heat Pump Federation and Davis's co-presenter on the podcast, described the decision as 'quite extraordinary'. Douglas Parr, Greenpeace UK's policy director, said: 'As an impartial broadcaster, the BBC should not be pandering to attempts from the right to turn the world's most efficient home heating system into a culture war issue. What's next – cancelling Gardeners' World because of Monty Don's support for peat-free compost?' Davis told the Guardian he received 'no remuneration at all' for the podcast and had personally paid its small costs for music, dissemination and microphone equipment. He said there was no link with the HPF, other than the fact it employed his co-host. However, he defended the broadcaster. 'While it's easy to be infuriated by the BBC and its caution on things like this – and of course, I do disagree with it in this case – I've never had the burden of actually having to run the BBC and make a hundred decisions a day, while people from all sides shout incessantly at me,' he said. 'I'm obviously free to leave if I don't like the restrictions that come with working here, but I choose not to because it is a great institution, the PM programme is in excellent shape, and they pay me handsomely.' The BBC has received criticism over its handling of environmental issues. In 2018, the broadcaster said it would stop 'both-sidesing' the climate crisis, admitting that it got some of its coverage 'wrong' by setting up debates with those who deny climate science. However, more recently, the broadcaster has given a platform to some who call for reduced action on the climate breakdown. Producers also accused the BBC of shelving a 2023 political programme by Sir David Attenborough that linked the UK's biodiversity loss to the climate crisis. Insiders said this was because of fears its themes of the destruction of nature would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the rightwing press. BBC guidelines state employees should not compromise the impartiality of the corporation in their outside work. A source said while the BBC is clear that climate change is happening, responses to it are a matter of public policy. They added that Davis's podcast only explored and promoted one possible solution. The BBC has previously come under pressure over the external projects of its presenters. Last year, the broadcaster Clive Myrie apologised for failing to declare at least £145,000 earned from external events and said he would stop doing them for the 'foreseeable future'.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK Radio Presenter Jamie Theakston Says That Attentive Listeners Saved His Life Before Cancer Diagnosis
UK radio presenter Jamie Theakston is back at work having undertaken several months of cancer treatment, and he says he has his regular listeners to thank for helping save his life. Theakston co-presents the Heart Radio breakfast show alongside Amanda Holden, and has been on air for two decades, following a successful television presenting career. More from Deadline Michel Franco Talks Mexico-U.S. Immigration Drama 'Dreams' With Jessica Chastain & How It's Not Related To Trump; Reveals He's Yet To See 'Emilia Pérez' 'Zero Day' Actor Jesse Plemons Shares Why Netflix Thriller Politicians' Leanings Left Deliberately Vague Russell Brand Shuts Down Mental Health And Addiction Charity Following Sexual Assault Allegations Theakston told The Times of London that regular listeners had been tuning in attentively, and several had notified him of a change in his voice on air, urging him to have it medically checked: 'You do the show for 20 years, and you get a sore throat and it comes and goes. But there were a couple of listeners who said, 'You really need to get it checked.' And I guess in many ways that sort of saved my life. Without being too dramatic about it.' With his wife also urging him to get his recurrent sore throat checked, Theakston consulted a specialist and was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, a rare disease that attacked his voice box. Following three surgeries and several months off work, Theakston returned to work in January, broadcasting to an audience of 4.2million. His radio show is the largest non-BBC in the UK, with a regular audience of 4.2million. In 2019, Heart Radio folded all its separate regional radio stations, opting instead to have Theakston and Holden broadcast nationwide. Of the local jobs that went with the move, Theakston told The Times: 'The blame should fall very strongly on the BBC's shoulders. Commercial radio doesn't have a responsibility to provide local programming. Our responsibility is to get the numbers to allow the sales team to sell the ads.' Best of Deadline How To Watch The 'SNL50' Anniversary Concert And Three-Hour Special This Weekend Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan's Next Film – 'The Odyssey': Release Date, Cast And More 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
