the times | Wednesday February 23 2022 2GM 5
News
Oti Mabuse has quit Strictly Come
Dancing after seven years as a profes-
sional dancer on the BBC show.
Mabuse, a two-time Strictly cham-
pion, announced her departure on
Instagram, telling fans that it was a
tough decision to walk away from the
dancefloor.
“I’m honestly so grateful to the BBC
and will always remember that Strictly
and BBC brought me to the UK, which
I now call home,” she said. “I can’t put
The BBC is losing two of its most
prominent presenters after Emily
Maitlis and Jon Sopel announced a deal
with the radio company behind LBC
and Classic FM.
Maitlis and Sopel will co-host an LBC
show and launch a podcast series for
Global after the success of Americast, a
BBC podcast about the American
elections that was one of the top shows
on its Sounds app last year.
Maitlis, 51, is best known as a present-
er of Newsnight. Sopel, 62, is a 40-year
BBC veteran, who was North America
editor until last year. He was considered
the frontrunner to replace Laura
Kuenssberg as political editor and his
exit leaves the race wide open.
Their exit has shocked BBC insiders
and is yet another sign that the corpo-
ration is haemorrhaging top-tier talent.
Maitlis said: “It will be a wrench to
leave the BBC after 20 phenomenal
years. I am so grateful for the opportu-
nities I’ve had there.”
Sopel added: “I leave with nothing
but good feelings towards the corpora-
month after sharing a post from Rory
Stewart, the former international de-
velopment secretary, in which he be-
moaned the Tory embrace of rhetoric
in the style of Donald Trump.
There is an acknowledgment among
BBC presenters that the corporation’s
impartiality regime is stricter than ever
under Tim Davie, the director-general.
At the same time, rival broadcasters,
including ITV and GB News, appear to
be moving in the opposite direction,Mosaic reveals how
Roman elite spent
a night on the tiles
P
rince Charles,
Prince William
and other
members of
White’s may tell
you that they are
members of the oldest
gentlemen’s club in
London, tracing its roots
back to 1693. However,
it is fresh-faced
compared with a new
discovery that suggests
the first such institution
is two millennia old
(Jack Blackburn writes).
Archaeologists at a
site on Southwark
Street have made a
“once in a lifetime”
discovery of Romanmosaics that appear to
be from a mansio, an
upmarket bolthole for
well-connected imperial
officials that bears
comparison to the
modern private
members’ club.
The mosaics, one
large and one small, are
very well preserved and
appear to have been part
of a dining room. They
constitute the largest
such find in the capital
for at least 50 years,
though further work
may reveal the find to be
even more significant.
“We knew the area
was well settled, but weweren’t expecting this
mosaic,” Sophie
Jackson, a director at
the Museum of London
Archaeology, said. “It
was a complete surprise.”
The rest of thestructure is being
uncovered but it is
expected to be large.
There is an older
mosaic underneath,
suggesting that the
Romans may haveredecorated to stay on
trend.
The mansio, which
was around in the 2nd or
3rd century AD, was
where Roman officials
could rest while onofficial business. Guests
would identify
themselves with papers
to gain entry and the
venue would have
been like “a members’
club with a colonial,official feel to it”,
Jackson said.
Mansiones were
spread across the
Roman Empire, with
many examples found in
Britain. Some have been
likened to an upmarket
motel or travel lodge,
but this dining room is
large and lavish,
implying that it was
reserved for the highest
ranking figures.
In the suburb of
Southwark, next to the
ancestor of today’s
London Bridge, there
would have been a lot of
traffic into Roman
London. The area
appears to have been
well-to-do, with
excavations revealing a
home near by whose
opulent decorations, as
well as coins and
jewellery, indicate a
wealthy family.
The mosaics were
uncovered during an
excavation for a
residential and
commercial
development. They will
be removed from the
site, with ideas for their
display being considered
by Southwark council.The mosaic, in Southwark,
is thought to be part of the
equivalent of a Roman
private members’ clubStrictly champion waltzes away from show after seven years
Jake Kanter into words how difficult this decision
has been, but I have decided not to
return for the next series.”
The South African dancer
revealed this month that she was
racially abused on social media by
a small minority of Strictly viewers.
“To get tweeted or receive a
message in my inbox being racially
abusive, or fat-shaming me, is
horrible. But it’s written by a per-
son who can’t even face them-
selves in the mirror,” she told
Radio Times.
A publicist for Mabuse said
that her departure from the
show had nothing to do
with the abuse.
“Dance will always
be my first love and
to everyone, my
family especially,
friends, Strictly fans and
judges, who have been my
support throughout myStrictly journey, thank you for being in-
credible,” Mabuse added.
The BBC said: “Oti has been a truly
wonderful part of Strictly for the past
seven years. Her energy, creativity and
talent have contributed to so many of
the show’s most memorable moments
and she will be hugely missed. She
leaves a dazzling legacy as the only pro-
fessional dancer to lift the glitterball
trophy in two consecutive years.”
Mabuse, 31, was crowned Strictly
winner in 2019 with Kelvin Fletcher,
the former Emmerdale actor, and in2020 with the comedian Bill Bailey. She
was partnered with Ugo Monye, the
rugby union player, on last year’s series.
She joined the BBC from the German
version of the show, Let’s Dance, and
became a favourite with fans for her
creative choreography.
Mabuse has carved out a successful
career elsewhere on British television,
serving as a judge on Dancing On Ice
and as a panellist on The Masked
Dancer, ITV’s dance version of The
Masked Singer. Motsi Mabuse, her sis-
ter, joined Strictly as a judge in 2019.MUSEUM OF LONDON ARCHAEOLOGY/PAOti Mabuse said it had been a
difficult decision to leaveM i
Maitlis and Sopel join BBC brain drain
tion and wish all the best to my col-
leagues and friends there.”
The pair were tight-lipped about the
nature of their Global podcast, but will
be collaborating with Dino Sofos, the
creator of Newscast and Americast.
Sofos left the BBC last year to launch
Persephonica, an audio production
company.
“Opportunities like this just don’t
come along very often,” Sopel said.
Maitlis added: “It’s an amazing op-
portunity to do something we all love,
and we are so thrilled Global is giving us
this opportunity to be big and ambi-
tious with this project.”
Global has had success in poaching
BBC talent, having last year persuaded
Andrew Marr to join as the host of an
LBC and Classic FM show. John Hum-
phrys, the former Toda y presenter, is a
fixture on Classic FM, while Eddie Mair
and Shelagh Fogarty, former Radio 4
and 5 Live presenters, joined LBC. Marr
referenced the opportunity to do jour-
nalism with “no filter” when he left,
something that may also appeal to
Maitlis and Sopel.
Maitlis was rebuked by bosses thisgiving presenters greater freedom to
express views.
Transparency over external work,
such as third-party speaking engage-
ments, is also a bone of contention.
Maitlis earns up to £330,000 at the
BBC, while Sopel’s pay packet is
£235,000. Both topped up their salaries
through moonlighting jobs last year,
with Maitlis earning £35,000 from five
external engagements.
An analysis by The Times has shown
that journalists with more than 1,
years of experience have left the BBC
over the past two years, including
senior editors and reporters. Many are
nervous that the brain drain has con-
tributed to more on-air blunders, such
as booking Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey
Epstein’s former lawyer, to appear on
BBC News minutes after Ghislaine
Maxwell had been convicted of sex
trafficking.
Jonathan Munro, interim director of
BBC News, said: “We’d like to thank
both Emily and Jon for their many
years of sterling service to the BBC and
wish them the very best in their new
endeavours at Global.”Podcast ‘powerhouse’
Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel got the
headlines but there is a third party
in their Global podcast venture.
Dino Sofos will produce their
show, having ushered in a podcast
revolution at the BBC before he left
the corporation last year.
Sofos, 38, was credited with
creating Electioncast. It morphed
into Brexitcast and then Newscast,
which is posted daily on BBC
Sounds. He was also behind
Americast, a new entry in BBC
Sounds’ top ten podcasts of 2021. It
showcases Maitlis and Sopel’s
friendship and passion for America.
The producer was behind more
than 85 million BBC downloads.
Maitlis called him a “powerhouse”.
Sofos will produce the Global
podcast through his company
Persephonica. Global, which owns
LBC, was tightlipped about what the
show will sound like but Sopel said it
would be “innovative”.Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis will host a
radio show and launch a new podcastJake Kanter Media Correspondent