Main BBC News studio out of action for weeks only two years after relaunch

When did a national news programme ever have a temporary look?

For the last couple of weeks the BBC News at Six and the BBC News at Ten have been decamped to Studio D at New Broadcasting House.

Only the least observant of regular viewers wouldn’t have spotted this.

The set is much smaller, there are fewer standing links and the weather presenter is not on the set.

No doubt many Pres fans are disappointed the video wall showing all the regional presenters has gone too.

There has been no word on when things will get back to normal.

It is not unusual for programmes to move into other studios temporarily – either because of maintenance work or because new sets are being constructed.

But I am struggling to think of occasions when it has been immediately obvious.

I could only think of three occasions, all of them in the dark recesses of my memory.

• In 1986, News Afternoon had a small set for its last couple of weeks – presumably because the set for the new One o’Clock News was taking up its old space.
• During the 1987 election campaign, the One lost some studio space – the most obvious impact of this was on the zoom at the end of the titles. This was, I presume, because of the large set being used for the News and Election 87 at 9pm.
• In 1988 the daytime summaries used a CSO backdrop of the newsroom while work was underway building a full newsroom studio for the Nine.

I doubt if many people other than Pres fans noticed any of this at the time.

The changes weren’t immediately obvious and clearly every effort was made to keep things looking as normal as possible.

However the current situation has a noticeable ongoing impact on the Six and Ten.

Personally I have no problem with a smaller set – it feels more intimate.

But I have argued before that this is not 1970. There is nothing wrong in principle with using a number of different styles for links. The normal set for the Six and Ten allows the presenter to interact with graphics and can showcase powerful or striking images.

For now, at least, there are limitations on the ability to do that.

There has been no notable effect on the viewing figures nor am I aware of any audience feedback.

If anything, the ratings have been relatively good recently, perhaps reflecting the importance of the coverage of the tragedy in Southport, the rioting in parts of England and Northern Ireland and some excellent coverage of Ukraine’s advance into Russian territory. Inheritance from the Olympics will also have been a factor.

But there is a risk.

Could all this be unintentionally demonstrating that core BBC News viewers don’t want or need fancy links?

The simple quality of the journalism – whether in packages or live pieces – can speak for itself.

There is an argument for simplicity and the simple relationship a news presenter can build with the audience simply by talking directly to them.

But context and analysis can be visually dull so it is right to find the most engaging and effective ways of doing this.

Similarly a striking image on the set can be more eyecatching than a traditional inset.

20 years ago ITV News went much further down this road with its bold Theatre of News. That is now a distant memory. ITV News now normally goes for either a simple medium close up shot or a medium close up with a straightforward inset.

It’s just two years since the BBC unveiled its bold new news studio. Who would have expected it to be out of action for a significant length of time so soon?

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