Clive Myrie has paid an emotional tribute to his “mentor” George Alagiah while live on BBC News this afternoon.
Tributes have been pouring in from famous names and viewers in their thousands after it was announced earlier today that legendary BBC presenter George Alagiah had sadly passed away at the age of 67 following a long battle with illness after first being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in 2014.
The “much-loved” figure was well-known to TV audiences for having been one of the BBC News at Six’s main presenters for almost two decades.
He was appointed an OBE for services to journalism in 2008.
Alagiah had been bravely continuing with his broadcast career between cancer treatments since his initial diagnosis – but the BBC announced in a statement today that the “outstanding” journalist had sadly passed away.
BBC Director General Tim Davie remembered Alagiah as “one of the best and bravest journalists of his generation” in a tribute paid earlier today, adding that everyone across the BBC is “incredibly sad” to learn the news of his passing, as he reported “fearlessly” from across the world, as well as presenting the news “flawlessly”.
“He was more than just an outstanding journalist,” Mr Davie added, “audiences could sense his kindness, empathy and wonderful humanity”.
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It was the job of current BBC News presenter Clive Myrie to break the news of Alagiah’s passing live on air this afternoon – with the Bolton-born journalist then taking the time to pay his own emotional tribute fondly remembering his “mentor”.
Fighting back tears as he spoke, Myrie said in tribute to Alagiah: “On a personal note, George touched all of us here at in the BBC newsroom with his kindness and generosity, his warmth and his good humour.
“I loved him as mentor, colleague, and friend.”
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Viewers have dubbed Myrie’s tribute as a “very moving” moment of live TV.
Reacting to the live tribute, one viewer wrote on Twitter: “Sad to see Clive Myrie welling-up as he read the news about the death of his colleague and friend George Alagiah. Well done Clive for just getting through it, RIP George.”
Another wrote: “Poor Clive Myrie is doing an exceptional job holding it together while announcing George Alagiah’s death on BBC News. You can see how much it’s hurting him.”
“A first class tribute to George Alagiah from Clive Myrie this afternoon,” a third wrote.
Poor Clive Myrie is doing an exceptional job holding it together while announcing George Alagiah's death on BBC News at One.
It must be so difficult announcing the death of someone who was a beloved friend & colleague on national tv. Tom Bradby had the unimaginable difficult task with the passing of Emily Morgan, I was moved to tears then as I have just been at Clive Myrie remembering George Alagiah.
George Alagiah OBE was born in Sri Lanka before moving to Ghana and then England, joining the BBC as a foreign affairs correspondent in 1989.
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Over the course of his career, he won multiple accolades for his reports on the famine and war in Somalia in the early 1990s. He received a BAFTA nomination for covering Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaign in 1994, which the same year he was named Amnesty International’s journalist of the year.
He had been one of the BBC News at Six’s main presenters for almost two decades.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
ITV is reviving an iconic music trivia gameshow Name That Tune from the 70s
Emily Sergeant
ITV is set to revive one of the most iconic music-themed gameshows of all time for a new generation.
That’s right – Name That Tune is making a comeback.
Based on the successful US format of the same name, and airing in the UK on its original run from 1976 through to 1987, before being rebooted for the first time by Channel 5 from 1997-98, Name That Tune is being revived for the third time and is set to hit screens on ITV early next year.
If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the show, Name That Tune sees contestants pitted against each other as their music knowledge is put to the test in a series of fast-paced rounds that featuring tracks from some of the world’s best-loved music artists and bands across every genre, all building towards a nail-biting finale.
Competitors will be tasked with correctly deciphering iconic riffs, melodies and lyrics from some of the biggest songs on the planet.
Set to be presented by Alison Hammond, and with a studio audience singing along, the show’s reboot will invite viewers at home to play from their living rooms, making it the ultimate soundtrack for all generations.
Every round is designed to challenge music enthusiasts by asking them just one simple question – can you name that tune?
“As a massive music lover, my biggest challenge as a host will be trying not to grab the mic and start singing along when one of my all-time favourite tunes comes on,” commented Alison Hammond as she was announced as the host for the reboot.
“And trust me… that will take serious self control.
“I grew up absolutely loving the original show so being part of this now feels like a real full-circle moment. I cannot wait to get into the studio, put the contestants through their paces, and see who really knows their music.”
ITV has told viewers to expect the show to be ‘bigger, louder, and more feel-good than ever’ once it returns in January.
Featured Image – ITV
TV & Showbiz
BBC cancel three hit shows, including legendary stand-up series, Live at the Apollo
Danny Jones
The BBC have reportedly cancelled three of their hit TV shows, including the long-standing Live at the Apollo.
With the company facing even more cuts and the television industry facing the ever-changing obstacles set about by increasingly dominant digital platforms, the hit live stand-up series, which has run for over two decades, is the latest big IP on the chopping block.
But that’s not all: joining them in cancellation after long stints on the box are Celebrity Mastermind and the most recently rebooted version of British favourite, Blankety Blank, brought back with Bradley Walsh as host back in 2020.
With roughly 65 full-length seasons between them, and literally hundreds of episodes under their belt, the unfortunate trio have fallen foul for varying reasons.
At first I read that as Celebrity Masterchef, but that show is immortal.
Really surprised to see Live at the Apollo go. It can't cost much and has been instrumental in giving many comedians their big TV breaks. https://t.co/BrT8k2hoYd
While Walsh announced that he was quitting the programme after three series (the fourth was set to begin recording later this year) largely due to scheduling conflicts, the driving force behind the decision is the aforementioned cutbacks.
In case you hadn’t heard, the BBC has seen an approximately £500 million reduction in annual spending, which has meant that one or more productions were always going to be hit hard as a result.
They are aiming to save upwards of £100m annually, which is set to come in the form of 100-150 hours less originally telly by the end of 2028.
Issuing an official statement, they say: “We are incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows and would like to thank everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera, for bringing them to screen and making them such a success over many years.
“Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the entertainment genre.”
With Live at the Apollo, in particular, having served as an important proving ground and spotlighting stage for rising comics, the UK mainstay originally hosted by Jack Dee is sadly going the way of Mock the Week by being pulled after 22 years on the air.
As you can see, it’s already been heavily mourned by performers around the comedy circuit and fans alike. It goes without saying that those within the industry know all too well how important it’s been.
Unfortunately, more announcements and cuts are expected throughout the remainder of the year as the BBC‘s entertainment arm tries to regain profitability.
This means that these three likely won’t be the last to be axed; who knows? Given that even the biggest of IPs don’t seem to be safe, maybe even mainline Mastermind could be in trouble…
It’s also worth noting that this news comes not long after the media giants launched their big campaign to reassert their domestic significance and beyond, with more and more people straying away from the TV licence in favour of modern streaming.
You can read the full ‘savings’ update right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
24th July 2023 
