2,900 jobs to go in BBC shakeup

2,900 jobs are to go as part of a plan by the BBC to reinvent itself ahead of the renewal of its Charter.

Director-General Mark Thompson is seeking to make cost cuts of around £320m after three years.

"My vision for the future of the BBC has three parts: a bold new programme and content strategy based above all around the idea of excellence; a transformation of the BBC into a state-of-the art digital broadcaster; and an irreversible shift in the culture of the BBC towards simplicity, opportunity and creativity," said Thompson today.

"We should do what's right for a strong, independent BBC and its audiences in the long term, not what's politically convenient now.

"There is an amazing creative prize for the BBC and our audiences – but it's a prize that comes at a price. To achieve all this, the BBC must undergo nothing short of transformation.

"This is not a time for introspection and endless debate. It's a moment for action.

"Any discussion about the future level of the licence fee is bound to begin by asking how much of the future we can afford to pay for ourselves by becoming more efficient."

The job cuts were immediately criticised by the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union, Bectu. The union's assistant general secretary, Gerry Morrissey, said that the cuts were "savage" and that the union is "committed to fighting against compulsory redundancies, regardless of where they fall."