by Trevor Sturgess

BBC chiefs could soon find themselves under pressure if the high-profile departures of journalists and presenters Geoff Clark and Beverley Thompson come back to haunt them.

Popular television presenter Geoff Clark bowed out on Thursday September 17 and his controversial departure from South East Today followed the tearful exit on Wednesday of his fellow anchor Beverley Thompson.

BBC bosses, who described the pair as “excellent journalists” in a farewell comment, had earlier told the experienced pair to go but said they would keep their jobs until the end of October.

But they had a change of heart, partly because of the effect of negative publicity and the impact on their successors

BBC sources in the Tunbridge Wells studios claim that Clark was called in by bosses at 2pm on Thursday and given the option of going immediately or after presenting South East Today for the last time. He chose to go after the programme.

The decision to dispense with 'Geoff and Bev' brought great opprobrium on Internet noticeboards and the BBC has been heavily criticised nationally for being ageist, with the departures of, among others, Arlene Philips, Moira Stuart and Radio Four announcer Peter Jefferson.

Clark was credited with turning around the fortunes of BBC South East Today after it had languished in the ratings behind commercial rival ITV Meridian Tonight.

His departure comes 24 hours after Thompson, a BBC staffer for 23 years, rejected alternative roles suggested by the BBC and decided to walk out.

Meridian recently reintroduced veteran presenter Fred Dineage, although the move was not thought to be connected to the BBC's decision and the broadcaster's coverage had suffered after ITV demanded massive cuts in regional news.

A BBC source said bosses could be under pressure as the show was one of the most popular in its slot. Should ratings suffer, that one decision could carry the lion's share of the blame.

A colleague of Geoff and Beverley said the mood in the studio was pretty depressing. “Bev left in tears,” they said. “She said she cried all the way home. People are pretty down. Staff feel that if managers are going to treat so-called talent like this, what hope is there for everyone else?”

The controversial decision to replace the pair by the younger Rob Smith and Polly Evans followed alleged comments by focus groups and viewers sounded out in a telephone poll.

Bosses were accused of misinterpreting the data, but the BBC turned down all requests, including those under the Freedom of Information Act, to justify their claims and reveal the detailed findings.

While the BBC has fiercely denied accusations of ageism, insiders believe that was the main reason behind the decision which provoked a flood of protest from outraged viewers. MPs also took up the cause.

A source said: “This is an organisation funded by the public, by the licence fee, and managers have turned a deaf ear to public opinion. They believe they know better than the public.”

Bosses are suspected of wanting to chase a younger audience and believe that bringing in the younger Smith and Evans is the way to do it.

With some viewers threatening to switch back to ITV, bosses will be looking anxiously at the ratings after Clark and Thompson’s departure. A source warned that their jobs could be on the line if viewing figures slip.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “We can confirm Beverley has decided to leave the BBC and Geoff will no longer be presenting South East Today after this week.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for their commitment and hard work on the programme and we know they will be missed. Both Beverley and Geoff are excellent journalists and we wish them the best of luck for their future careers.”