PD James slams ITV over 'South Bank' axe

Author PD James has claimed that ITV's decision to axe The South Bank Show was "an act of cultural vandalism".

Speaking at a Media Society dinner last night in honour of former South Bank Show presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg, James said that the long-running programme's cancellation on ITV1 "tells us more than we need to know about the channel".

She added: "I have very little hope for the future."

The 89-year-old Tory peer, who spent five years as a BBC governor, also praised Lord Bragg for his contribution to broadcasting, reports The Guardian.

"For 30 years he has educated, entertained and enriched all our lives," she said.

"The programmes are an archive of the 20th and 21st century. That is a huge achievement."

Last December, James criticised the BBC in an interview with the corporation's director general Mark Thompson.

She told Thompson that while some BBC programming is of a high quality, other material is more tenuous in its value as public service broadcasting.

At the dinner last night, James again called on the BBC to "behave better" by devoting less money to "overpaid bureaucracy" and more to fostering creativity.