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Adam Fleming reveals what he thinks the BBC should be doing better – and what is exciting for its future

The journalist on his career low, making horror films and how the BBC can be better.

Adam Fleming leaning back on a chair and laughing in front of a microphone, with Chris Mason sitting behind him smiling.

Published: Thursday, 18 June 2026 at 8:00 am

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This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

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What’s the view from your sofa?

I live by a canal in east London. There’s a little unofficial nature reserve in between my living room window and the water, so it’s very green. It feels a bit like watching an alternative television from a treehouse. I’ve got a green sofa, but spend more time in my fuchsia armchair, which is opposite the TV. There’s something about having a matching armchair and footstool that makes me feel very grown up.

What have you been watching?

I was watching Amandaland every night, so when that was over, I started watching it all over again. There are so many jokes and the characters are just so real. Amanda [Lucy Punch] goes from being horrible to weirdly lovable back to being horrible again. I also binged All Her Fault with Sarah Snook. It was high-quality trash. But the best thing I’ve seen over the last couple of years is Andor, a big political spy thriller set in the Star Wars universe.

Did you always want to be a journalist?

When I was 14, I wanted to be a film director, and I’d make horror films that weren’t even remotely scary on my dad’s camcorder in my friend’s attic. But there was no way to edit them in those days. Then when I got to university, I discovered radio and realised you can tell stories without a camera or editing software. That’s when I got the journalism bug and gave up on becoming Christopher Nolan.

Who would play you in a film?

When I was younger, people would tell me Ewan McGregor. I think they only said that because he was the only other Scottish person they could think of in showbiz. At the moment, I get quite a lot of Stephen from The Traitors. He’s a very glowed-up version of me.

Have you had any embarrassing on-screen moments?

I was advised by one of the make-up artists on Newsround to get my eyelashes tinted because it would make my eyes look brighter. For the first few days, everyone thought I was in some New Romantic tribute band. I haven’t done that again.

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Is there a question you wish you’d asked someone?

I interviewed Prince William about the Earthshot Prize. We spoke about climate change, the environment and what he was trying to do. We were just about to wrap up and I just asked, “Is there anything else you want to say?” He paused and went, “I think space tourism is a bit dodgy. Rather than spending billions on trying to colonise space, we should be spending that money down here on Earth.” And of course, that was a massive global news story. It didn’t come around because of my amazing interrogation of the Prince. It shows you that sometimes journalism is just about saying the easy thing at the right time to the right person.

What’s been your biggest career failure?

I was chief political correspondent on the BBC for a while, and I just wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t like the job and it didn’t like me. I’m sort of 95 per cent politics, 5 per cent other things, but to survive and thrive at Westminster, you’ve got to be 110 per cent politics and I just wasn’t.

What should the BBC do better?

We’ve got a big new boss from the tech world [director-general Matt Brittin]. One of the things he said in his first meeting with the staff was that iPlayer needs investment because it could be a better piece of technology. I’m excited to see what they do there. And the same with BBC Sounds. It’s an interesting thing for us because we’re so used to thinking of ourselves as makers of content and our colleagues who do the coding stuff as separate, but actually what if those two things get even closer together and the platforms and the content help each other to be better?

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