Thompson: Audiences will lose out most

Mark Thompson, the BBC’s director general, responds to the start of a 48-hour strike by BBC staff over a pensions row:

“We believe that much of the output on the BBC will be unaffected by this action.

“However, it is inevitable that some programmes and content will be disrupted.

“This has been a difficult period for staff. However, the people who lose out most in any strike action are the very people we are here to serve – our audiences.”