Rolling revamp for BBC News 24

New look: Changes will be phased in, says Mr Sambrook

Rolling news channel BBC News 24 is to be gradually revamped, the corporation's head of news has said.

Richard Sambrook, the BBC's director of news and current affairs, told The Guardian newspaper that viewers could expect to see a different feel to the channel in 12 months.

He said: "Look at News 24 in a year or so's time and it will look and feel very different."

But Mr Sambrook added viewers will not ""wake up one morning and find the set has turned green".

Last year a government review, headed by former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert, recommended that it become more "distinct" from its rivals, like Sky News, CNN, and the ITV News Channel.

Current affairs

Among the changes to be made will be more use of regional correspondents, and better international coverage.

Mr Sambrook conceded News 24 had been too easily influenced by its rivals.

"If I've got a criticism of it, it is that to some extent we have allowed ourselves to be defined by Sky News and CNN too much," he told the newspaper.

Among the other possible changes mentioned in the Guardian interview were a greater emphasis on current affairs - including repeating BBC One's Panorama.

The Guardian also said political, arts and showbusiness programmes which are popular at weekends - like Hardtalk and Talking Movies - could be extended into the week.

But a BBC spokeswoman told BBC News Online that no decision had been made on any detailed changes to the channel's line-up.

"We said after the Lambert report was published that we would change BBC News 24, and we are now embracing those recommendations," she said.