Andrew Neil has had an illustrious career at the top of TV News. His impressive appointment as chairman and as a flagship presenter of GB News would have come as little surprise to onlookers. Despite bagging this important role the veteran BBC journalist quit just a few months after the channel’s launch.
Andrew Neil, 72, played a central role in the creation of GB News in June 2021, but just eight months after the channel’s launch Mr Neil left his job there for good.
On September 13 he simply tweeted: “It’s official: I have resigned as Chairman and Lead Presenter of GB News.”
He later added in a statement: “I am sorry to go but I have concluded it’s time to reduce my commitments on a number of fronts.
“Over the summer I’ve had time to reflect on my extensive portfolio of interests and decided it was time to cut back.”
READ MORE: Andrew Neil ‘in talks’ to make Channel 4 move after GB News exit
He added: “I wish GB News well in continuing to fulfil its founding promise and mission to reach audiences currently underserved by existing news broadcasters.”
In an interview with the Daily Mail he said he walked away from a staggering £4million contract but he added that continuing in his position there “would have killed me”. Here’s the real reason behind his shock exit.
Neil is said to have left the channel after the relationship between himself and the channel’s bosses turned sour.
Neil described his job with GB News as “the worst eight months of my life”.
Neil said he quit his job after the direction GB news was “going in was not the direction that I had outlined, it was not the direction that I had envisaged for the channel.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time he said: “More and more differences emerged between myself and the other senior managers and the board of GB News.”
He added: “Rather than these differences narrowing, they got wider and wider and I felt it was best that if that’s the route they wanted to take then that’s up to them, it’s their money.”
When GB News launched Neil repeatedly denied rumours that it would mirror the opinionated right-wing US news channel – Fox News.
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What will Andrew Neil do now?
Far from retiring, Neil looks set to make a comeback as he is reportedly in talks with Channel 4 about hosting an early-evening politics programme,
According to Broadcast, he has been in discussions with bosses at Channel 4’s about taking on a new role there.
But, it’s understood that an agreement hasn’t been reached between Neil and the channel.
However, when he was asked if he’d consider a role there he said: “Channel 4 is basically the broadcast arm of the Guardian. Don’t think they’d have much interest in me.” So the veteran journalist’s future still remains unclear.
Published at Sun, 30 Jan 2022 05:01:00 +0000
Why did Andrew Neil quit GB News?
