BBC back to normal after strike

The BBC said 62% of staff due in on Monday reported for work

TV and radio programmes at the BBC have returned to normal after a 24-hour walkout by staff over job cuts.

The action, which ended at midnight on Monday, caused severe disruption to the corporation's news programmes.

The BBC said 38% of staff due to work joined the walkout over plans to cut 3,780 jobs, though unions said they believed up to 55% had taken part.

The BBC urged unions to return to talks but were accused of failing to hold "meaningful negotiations" with staff.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Bectu, the engineers' union, now play a further 48-hour walkout on 31 May and 1 June.

Hardest hit on Monday were live shows on BBC Radio 4, Five Live, the World Service and TV channels News 24 and BBC World.

The strike pulled Radio 4's flagship shows including Today and PM off air, and forced changes to BBC One's Breakfast and Chelsea Flower Show coverage.

The main news programmes on BBC One throughout the day were taken from News 24.

The job cuts and plans to privatise parts of the BBC were "savage" and would "decimate programmes [and] devalue the BBC", the unions said.

But director general Mark Thompson said they were necessary to prepare the corporation for a hi-tech future and invest more in programmes.