Lewis Goodall revealed today that he is leaving the BBC to join Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel as a co-host on their LBC news program.
The Newsnight editor will leave Broadcasting House to join Global in Leicester Square, where Nick Ferrari, Eddie Mair, Shelagh Fogarty, and James O’Brien already work.
He’ll be the new analysis and investigations editor for Global, as well as a co-host on Ms Maitlis and Mr Sopel’s daily news podcast.
Mr Goodall, whose pay is not disclosed by the BBC but is thought to be under £150,000, is the latest high-profile news personality to leave the broadcaster, which is facing a £1.4 billion financial hole after the licence fee was fixed until 2024.
Dan Walker, who left BBC Breakfast just three weeks ago, announced last month that he was joining Channel 5’s nightly news team for a whopping £1.5 million.
Mr. Goodall said that he will leave the current affairs show in September to begin his new job.
The 32-year-old, who joined Newsnight as policy editor in January 2020, described working on the show as a ‘luxury,’ but said that it is ‘critical to keep oneself challenged.’
‘My brief will be to turbo the organization’s video output,’ he wrote in a tweet this morning.
So, how does that look? There’s a lot more to come, but we’ve got huge ambitions. In the UK and abroad, I’ll be reporting on and breaking stories.
‘Global has transformed radio, and its ambitions for podcasting and high-quality video journalism (and how they all work together) are just as lofty.
‘Unfortunately, this means I’ll be departing lovely Newsnight.’ This program has infiltrated my veins. It’s something I’m very passionate about. It is absolutely necessary. I adore the group.
‘Working there under two great editors has been a privilege, and it runs through me like a stick of rock.’ I was a new producer at the time. I returned as policy editor, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
‘Hearing ‘”and here’s our policy editor, Lewis Goodall”… is thrilling to the sad, politics-obsessed Brummie teenager within me who used to watch the show in his bedroom night after night as a kid… is thrilling to me – every single time.
‘However, it’s critical to keep oneself pushed, and that’s exactly what I’m doing here.’ It was exciting to have the opportunity to build something completely new, especially with such a great team.’
Ms. Maitlis and Mr. Sopel announced their departure from the BBC in February for their new venture at Global.
Ms Maitlis will now earn ‘at least’ £400,000 a year, with Mr Sopel certain to break the £300,000 barrier, although it ‘may be more’ due to the number of projects they will work on together, according to an LBC insider.
Ms Maitlis joined the BBC in 2001 and has hosted Newsnight since 2006, collecting a Royal Television Society award in 2019 for her interview with the Duke of York, while Mr Sopel joined the broadcaster in 1983 and was previously its North America editor.
Insiders at the BBC say Ms Maitlis, 51, resigned in part because she was ‘frustrated’ by being ‘ticked-off’ by management over impartiality issues after tweets and on-air comments regarding the pandemic, the Tory government, and Boris Johnson’s former chief assistant Dominic Cummings.
‘I’m happy that Lewis will be joining Emily and Jon for our new Global podcast,’ said Tom Cheal, managing editor of LBC.
Lewis blends in-depth knowledge of Westminster’s inner workings with creative storytelling and agenda-setting reporting, which will be a key focus as we expand our video output.’
Dino Sofos, the creator of audio production business Persephonica, will join Global as the executive producer of its new podcast. Sofos is the creator of the Brexitcast, Newscast, and Americast formats, as well as the previous head of BBC News Podcasts.
He tweeted that he is “extremely happy” that Goodall will be joining the presenting team, while Ms Maitlis said she is “utterly delighted” to have him on board.
‘You’re going to be a great asset, and it’s going to be one helluva journey,’ Mr Sopel remarked.
Mr Goodall’s statement comes amid a slew of high-profile departures from the BBC, including veteran journalist Andrew Marr, who announced his departure from the organisation last November after 21 years with it.
Marr joined the BBC as political editor in May 2000 and went on to host his own Sunday morning show for 16 years.
After nearly three decades at the BBC, former deputy political editor John Pienaar announced his departure in February 2020 to join Times Radio.
Following the broadcaster’s statement in 2016 that it needed to save £800 million, with about £80 million coming from news, the Andrew Neil Show was a casualty of BBC cuts later that year.
Neil went on to say that he will be the face and chairman of GB News, therefore ending his affiliation with the BBC, where he had been one of the most regarded political interviewers.
Since then, the former Sunday Times editor has left GB News to join Channel 4 for a new Sunday night political show that premiered in May.
The BBC, on the other hand, dismissed the brain drain of top talent leaving the network in April, saying that “people come, people go.”
According to insiders, there is always a ‘natural point where individuals move on,’ but there are growing concerns that the Corporation will be short on experienced presenters.
‘People come and go,’ a BBC source told MailOnline, ‘but we have a lot of existing talent as well as new and coming stars, and there is always a natural moment where people move on.’
Meanwhile, BBC officials have slammed the organisation for spending up to £10 million on a new ‘curvy’ studio, citing concerns that a merger of its news channels could result in the loss of 100 jobs.
The freshly remodeled studio, which has a curved catwalk and a giant vertical screen to display social media messages, was held a closely guarded secret for months before being revealed last week.
According to The Times, the BBC spent money on the makeover before deciding to merge its UK and international news stations.
The merger is expected to result in layoffs, and some insiders are unhappy over the ‘obscene’ cost of the new studio.
The backdrop ‘will be on broadcast for three half-hour bulletins a day,’ according to a source, while the rolling news stations face severe cuts.