Beeb director general's David Brent moment as he cheerfully tells staff to lift their spirits and 'be more Elvis'... ahead of hundreds of job cuts with BBC Three and BBC Scotland expected to be axed

The BBC's new director-general has been criticised for giving a 'cringeworthy' David Brent-style pep talk in which he urged staff to be 'more Elvis'.

Insiders accused Matt Brittin of being 'tone-deaf' for the comment, which came as the BBC rolls out plans to cut as many as 2,000 jobs. Channels such as BBC Three and BBC Scotland could also be axed and moved online in a bid to save £500million.

Mr Brittin told employees he wants the broadcaster to 'be more Elvis' – implying 'a little less conversation, a little more action' – amid impending job cuts.

A new audio recording has revealed the former Google chief executive made the comment during an online staff meeting, which he used to present possible new features on iPlayer in a futile attempt to lift their spirits. 

During the call, Mr Brittin, 58, admitted to employees the BBC was 'going to be smaller' but insisted that it could have more impact but needs to be 'a bit more Elvis - a little less conversation, a little more action'.

He explained: 'I'd like us to celebrate activity less and outcomes more. And getting faster to outcomes that make a difference to an audience.

'Not [just], "We did this great marketing campaign" but, actually, "it drove up watch time usage and active accounts" – right? Or "we did this piece of journalism and it changed the law, and it landed with these audiences".'

As heard in the recording, obtained by Deadline, he added that the BBC needs to radically rethink how it meets audiences' needs online and embrace the idea that digital – not traditional broadcast – 'can be flagship', before recognising it's OK to 'experiment and fail'.

The BBC's director general, Matt Brittin, has told employees he wants the broadcaster to 'be more Elvis' – implying 'a little less conversation, a little more action' – amid impending job cuts 

Comparing Mr Brittin to David Brent, the hapless manager played by Ricky Gervais in sitcom The Office, a source told the Mail: 'It's completely tone-deaf'

BBC Scotland is expected to be moved online after performing poorly in a bid by the corporation to save £500million in the next three years

BBCThree, home to beloved shows such as Gavin And Stacey, Normal People and Killing Eve is also expected to be axed. Pictured: Stars of Gavin And Stacey, Ruth Jones and James Corden

Mr Brittin appeared focused on the iPlayer tool as the future of the corporation and, during the call, a version of the platform was shown with a new AI feature called Iggy. 

Customers will be able to ask for similar programmes or shows in other languages as part of a feature Brittin said he hoped would make the public say: 'iPlayer and chill'.

This will no doubt have raised eyebrows on the call as it echoes the sentiment of 'Netflix and chill' – a phrase that in recent years has become a widespread euphemism for casual sex. 

Comparing Mr Brittin to Brent, the hapless manager played by Ricky Gervais in sitcom The Office, a source told the Mail: 'It's completely tone-deaf to use meaningless and utterly cringeworthy "buzzwords" to try to rally support for the future at the BBC when there won't be one for many soon.' 

His comments come as hundreds of jobs are on the line at the Beeb as staff anxiously wait to see if BBC Three and BBC Scotland will be shut down.

Mr Brittin's ideas were not met warmly by increasingly disgruntled employees, who lambasted him over the ongoing job cuts. 

The BBC continues to roll out details of a plan to cut as many as 2,000 jobs in a bid to save £500million.

Multiple staff members on the call claimed executives were being spared at the expense of junior staff. 

One staff member pointed out the BBC was 'an incredibly top-heavy organisation' and asked if senior management level would be affected by job losses before adding: 'All the 'doers' are getting cut.'

'I don't want to hear about savings when bosses get huge salaries,' another participant argued.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, the deputy director general, said senior roles would also be affected by the staffing cuts. 

'We are expecting changes at all levels of the organisation,' he said. 'So there isn't a cohort of senior leaders that are excluded from this process. 

'I think when we look back at the changes that have been introduced, you'll probably see that it's at the most senior levels that some of the steeper reductions have happened.'

More announcements on cuts are due to come in the next few days.  

Axing BBC Three and BBC Scotland – which have been performing badly – is expected to be the next move of the corporation's plan to save money.

It will no doubt be a major blow to audiences as BBC Three is home to beloved shows such as lockdown hit Normal People, Ruth Jones and James Corden's comedy series Gavin And Stacey, and Killing Eve.

The channel's highest-rating show this week was Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over which, despite being broadcast in a primetime slot, netted just 74,000 viewers.

Cuts are closing in fast on BBC Three as it was announced last month that financial difficulties were forcing the channel to cancel RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

It's an even more abysmal picture at BBC Scotland, launched in 2019, after the BBC's latest annual report in March revealed just 12 per cent of people in the country watched the channel live.

It has received up to £250million in funding since its launch but has failed to attract large audiences.

Its flagship news programme, The Nine, was scrapped two years ago after episodes drew as few as 1,700 viewers.

In June, bosses announced it was cutting 60 jobs in Scotland to save £10million.

Mr Brittin, who was named director general in May after Tim Davie stepped down, has long preached that linear TV and radio services may have to shut as audiences choose digital.

Rumours began to swirl about BBC Three and BBC Scotland when an email was sent last week from the director of iPlayer and Channels division, Dan McGolpin, calling for expressions of interest across the department in taking voluntary redundancy.

He said the plan was to 'mitigate the number of [enforced] redundancies' including sounding out staff interest about job-sharing arrangements, a reduction in hours, and 'relocating to another BBC base across the UK'.

Insiders at the Beeb have revealed to the Daily Mail that staffers at Radio 1 and Radio 2 are also bracing themselves for devastating job losses expected shortly.

A source said: 'Morale is very very low across R1 and R2 [Radio 1 and Radio 2]. People are fearful they are going to lose their jobs today.

'It's set to be an absolute bloodbath, with talk of studio managers being cut from Radio 2, with presenters having to do the desk themselves.

'And over at Radio 1 it's the assistant producers who are facing the axe because the shows are going to be so simplified, they won't need them. It's abysmal.'

Radio 4 has already faced a round of redundancies in June as six shows, including the World Tonight and the Midnight News, are being cancelled from early next year.

Its flagship show, The Today Programme, reduced its permanent presenters from five to four last month, and only one anchor presents on Saturdays.

Elsewhere in television, the BBC has been seemingly ruthless in its recent spate of cancellations in a bid to meet its savings target of £500million in the next three years.

BBC Sport is cutting 41 roles and has scrapped its lunchtime and overnight bulletins, in an attempt to make a saving of £2,6million.

Fans of Winterwatch were left devastated when the programme was scrapped this year after a 14-year run, similarly comedy show Live at the Apollo which has been axed after 22 years.

Light entertainment shows Blankety Blank and Celebrity Mastermind have also been cancelled, leaving producers and showrunners fearful of what will be next.