BBC South East Today
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox television 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
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>BBC axes well-known TV presenters, Kent Online, 12 June 2009</ref> Long-serving weather presenter Kaddy Lee-Preston, who had been with South East Today since its launch left the programme in March 2012.<ref>Popular weathergirl Kaddy Lee-Preston leaves South East Today Template:Webarchive Kent News, 4 April 2012</ref>
The main presenter is Natalie Graham with weather presenters Nina Ridge and Sara Thornton.<ref>The reason BBC South East news presenter Polly Evans has not been seen on TV recentlyTemplate:Dead link, Surrey Mirror, 15 March 2017</ref> 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 and Hove area) now carries BBC South East output instead of BBC South, and the region extends as far west as Worthing.<ref>Brighton transmitters will be in BBC South East from 7 March 2012 Template:Webarchive UK Free, 6 August 2011</ref>
Presenters
News
- Ellie Crisell (newsreader)<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Natalie Graham<ref name=":0" />
Weather
- Nina Ridge<ref name=":0" />
Former presenters
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Christopher Blanchett (Reporting Scotland)
- Giles Dilnot (Daily Politics)
- Polly Evans<ref>The reason BBC South East news presenter Polly Evans has not been seen on TV recentlyTemplate:Dead link, Surrey Mirror, 15 March 2017</ref>
- Michael Fish
- Kaye Forster
- Nazaneen Ghaffar (Sky News)
- Rachel Mackley
- Tomasz Schafernaker (BBC Weather)
- Rob Smith (journalist)
- Caroline Feraday