BBC South East Today

BBC South East Today
Title card used since April 2022
Production
Producers	BBC News BBC South East
Production locations	Great Hall Studios, Royal Tunbridge Wells
Running time	30 minutes (main 6:30pm programme) 10 minutes (1:30pm and 10:30pm programmes) Various (during weekends and Breakfast)
Original release
Network	BBC One South East
Release	3 September 2001 (2001-09-03) – present
Related
BBC South Today ITV News Meridian ITV News London

BBC South East Today is the BBC South East regional television news programme, serving Kent, East Sussex, part of West Sussex and a small part of Surrey. Prior to its launch on 3 September 2001, most of the viewers in the region received Newsroom South East, though some had been receiving South Today.

South East Today is produced and broadcast live from the BBC's South East Regional Production Centre in Royal Tunbridge Wells with district reporters covering Brighton, Canterbury, Chatham, Dover and Hastings.

Overview[edit]

Launched on 3 September 2001, South East Today airs with short programmes and bulletins at varying times.

The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service.

Launched with a sole main presenter Laurie Mayer, the programme was briefly the centre of a minor BBC scandal, after Mayer resigned amid accusations of management bullying.^[1] Mayer lost his case, but the managers concerned have since moved on.^{[citation needed]}

The show then became double-headed, with Beverley Thompson (formerly the programme's health correspondent) and Giles Dilnot presenting. In 2004, Geoff Clark joined the programme . Clark and Thompson presented the programme together for five years until their departure in September 2009.^[2] Long-serving weather presenter Kaddy Lee-Preston, who had been with South East Today since its launch left the programme in March 2012.^[3]

The main presenter is Natalie Graham with weather presenters Nina Ridge and Sara Thornton.^[4] The programme's editor is Quentin Smith and the sports producer is Ben Moore. Rob Smith left the programme in November 2020.

The main transmitters that carry the regional news are Heathfield, Bluebell Hill and Dover, with associated relays including Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and Whitehawk Hill. As of 7 March 2012 (following digital switchover), the Whitehawk Hill relay transmitter (which serves the Brighton & Hove area) now carries BBC South East output instead of BBC South, and the region extends as far west as Worthing.^[5]

In 2020, the weekday lunchtime bulletin of South East Today merged with that of BBC London News to join forces with the latest on COVID-19 as BBC London and South East, hosted by the South East Today team in Tunbridge Wells. All other bulletins remained separate between the two regions. The two separate newsrooms were restored in September 2020. Very occasionally a joint bulletin will still be broadcast, usually due to staff shortages in one newsroom or the other. On 27 December 2021, South East Today merged with BBC London News and South Today to create BBC London, South and South East Today due to staff shortages over the 2021 Christmas holidays.

On 31 March 2023, South East Today merged with South Today to create BBC South and South East Today for one late night only.

Presenters[edit]

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News[edit]

• Ellie Crisell (newsreader)

Weather[edit]

• Nina Ridge
• Rachel Mackley

Former presenters[edit]

See also[edit]

• BBC News

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• BBC South East Today at BBC Online