the times | Tuesday April 5 2022 17
News
Dan Walker is the latest BBC presenter
to head for the exit after he signed a deal
to become the face of Channel 5 news.
Walker, 45, has developed into one of
the corporation’s highest-profile stars
since taking his place on the breakfast
television sofa in 2016 and competing
in Strictly Come Dancing last year.
He told his Twitter followers that he
would be leaving the BBC “in the next
few weeks”, joining an exodus of
presenters that includes Emily Maitlis
and Louise Minchin, his former Break-
fast co-host.
Walker will replace Sian Williams as
the anchor of 5 News, as well as present-
ing a range of new programmes for
the channel, which has pushed
upmarket in recent years.
Walker earned up to £300,000 for
presenting BBC Breakfast and Football
Focus, which he left in 2021. It is
likely that he will receive a big
pay increase from Channel 5,
with industry insiders suggest-
ing that presenters can earn
up to five times their salary in
the commercial sector.
Walker resigned yesterday
morning and is yet to work
out his notice period. His deal
with Channel 5 is not exclu-Dan Walker quits
BBC for Channel 5
Jake Kanter Media Correspondent sive, meaning he could continue work-
ing with the BBC. He has expressed a
desire to continue presenting sporting
events for the corporation, including
the World Cup and Olympics.
He said: “I can’t wait to get stuck into
the daily news show, but I am also excit-
ed about making some great new TV
for Channel 5. I love their ideas and cre-
ativity and it’s rare to get an opportuni-
ty like this where paths and ambitions
meet. The chance to do something
different was too good to turn down.”
Ben Frow, the director of content for
Paramount UK, which owns Channel 5,
said the signing underlined the station’s
ability to attract leading talent. Chan-
nel 5 has repeatedly turned to BBC
stars to fill its schedule, with Jeremy
Vine, Nick Knowles, Michael Por-
tillo and Kate Humble all hosting
shows for the channel.
Walker’s departure has sparked
speculation about who will
replace him on Breakfast.
Amol Rajan, the Radio 4
Toda y presenter, has been
linked to the role after he
turned down a chance to
replace Piers Morgan on
Good Morning Britain.
Another possible contend-
er is Chris Mason, also the
frontrunner to be the BBC’s
new political editor. Mason
has guest-hosted Breakfast
and is said to be well-liked by
the production team.The presenter will anchor
5 News as well as hosting a
range of new programmesTMS
[email protected] | @timesdiaryA question for
Whitehouse
Before the culture select committee
grilled Lord Grade of Yarmouth, the
new head of Ofcom, last week, its
members had to declare conflicts of
interest. It allowed John Nicolson,
an SNP MP, a spot of nostalgia. “I
interviewed Lord Grade as a youth
television presenter,” he boasted.
This was not quite “ten years ago”,
as he suggested, but in 1987 when
Nicolson hosted Open to Question,
in which children interrogated
famous people. The questions were
often harder than from the adults.
Mary Whitehouse, the broadcasting
standards campaigner, grew tetchy
with one teenager who said: “My
parents tell me my hormones are
raging and I think about sex three
or four times an hour. You’re 76 and
seem to think about sex from the
moment you get up until you go to
bed. Which of us has the problem?”Until Sunday’s lurid allegations, the
most interesting thing I knew about
David Warburton was that the MP
owns a piano that belonged to Mike
“Remember You’re a Womble” Batt.
In 2001 Batt wrote a Tory theme tune
for the election campaign but his touch
failed: they didn’t even win Wimbledon.head for highs
With a Westminster sex and drugs
scandal back in the news, the
publication of a history of Dolphin
Square is timely. Simon Danczuk
and Daniel Smith reveal plenty of
“goings-on” at the Pimlico estate
where many MPs and peers have
lived a decadent life since 1936.
There was the late 7th Marquess of
Bristol, for instance, who used to
take pals for flights in his helicopter
when drunk or drugged, sometimes
both. “As long as he was awake, I
wasn’t too worried about it,” one
told the authors. “It was when he
was nodding off that was the worst.”stages of zadie
“Those whom the gods wish to
destroy, they first call promising.” At
the age of 46 and with a few
bestselling books under her belt
Zadie Smith is happy to shrug off
Cyril Connolly’s warning. Receiving
the Critics’ Circle theatre award asthe most promising playwright for
The Wife of Willesden, Smith said
the recognition was a tonic. “It is a
long time since I have been called
promising,” said Smith, left. “It is
very rejuvenating, like Botox.” The
difference being that you eliminate
unwanted lines before winning a
theatre prize but after Botox.Cambridge’s men lost the Boat Race
on Sunday but at least they didn’t
sink. Practising their start in high
winds on Friday, the boat submerged
by Craven Cottage and the crew had
to be rescued by the RNLI. While the
rowers suffered nothing worse than
soggy singlets, the BBC was testing its
on-board equipment and sustained
£20,000 of damage to the camera.deflation warning
Also doing an impression of the
Titanic recently is Rishi Sunak’s
approval rating. The monthly poll
of party members on the grassroots
website Conservative Home shows
the chancellor has slumped since
last week’s budget from being the
eleventh most popular member of
the Cabinet to 30th out of 32. This
time last year he was second. The
only ministers less popular are Priti
Patel, whose rating is now negative,
and Ben Elliot, the party chairman
and friend of Russian oligarchs.patrick kidd