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Every business PR dreams of seeing their client react live to the Budget on The One O’Clock News, but only a select few experts make the cut. Our exclusive guide to getting Budget coverage on the BBC gives you the inside edge on exactly what producers are looking for.
The Chancellor has set the Autumn Budget for Wednesday, November 26th, 2025. For business PRs, it’s one of the biggest opportunities of the year. From early speculation to the OBR analysis days afterwards, the BBC will devote hours of radio and TV airtime and pages of coverage to the subject. But to get your spokesperson on to a programme, you’ll need an insider’s edge to stand out in a producer’s inbox.
We’ve covered it all in our downloadable pitching guide, The BBC and the Budget: Where, When and How to Get Coverage. It’s a behind-the-scenes manual written for us by Jonty Bloom, a former BBC News Business Correspondent who was in the Budget trenches for decades (in fact, he didn’t miss one for 35 years) and it’s packed with practical advice.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll find inside:
Where to pitch: the BBC programmes to target
The BBC’s coverage of the Budget isn’t confined to the Chancellor’s red box moment – it runs weeks of programming across TV, radio and online.
There are special one-off shows, with segments filmed in factories, shopping centres or community spaces, featuring a mix of experts, consumers and business owners. These programmes take a month or more to prepare, so make contact with producers ASAP to stand a chance. Provide a comprehensive list of what you can do for them: the companies you represent who can comment on this year’s issues, plus emails, phone numbers, and their availability.
Then there are the daily news programmes like The One O’Clock News (TV), World at One (Radio 4), 5Live Drive (Radio) and The Ten O’Clock News (TV). On Budget day, these shows stretch their running time and fill every segment with reaction. They’ll need articulate experts to give an opinion on policy changes in real time.
When to pitch: before, on the day, and afterwards
If you only start thinking about the Budget on the day itself, you’ve missed your window.
Speculation begins weeks in advance. Sunday politics shows and morning bulletins are hungry for credible economists, accountants and business owners to discuss what might be coming. Once producers know and trust your spokesperson, they’re far more likely to come back once the Budget is announced.
The morning programmes like Today and Breakfast will be based on leaks and rumours. Offering an informed voice to discuss “what the Chancellor might do” can get your client on air before the speech even begins.
And after the Budget? That’s when the real analysis kicks in. Institutions like the IFS and OBR go over the fine print, and journalists start looking for the stories they missed – the ‘sneakier’ tax rises, the numbers that don’t add up. Be ready with new data, expert commentary, or genuine case studies, and you could secure multiple BBC Budget press coverage hits across the week.
How to pitch: accessibility is everything
Budget coverage moves at lightning pace. If a journalist can’t reach your spokesperson immediately – or if you tell them “we’ll call back” – they’ll move on. Have your experts on standby, make sure producers have their direct phone numbers, and be ready to appear in person at BBC studios in London, Salford, Glasgow or Birmingham.
Zoom and WhatsApp interviews are often acceptable for radio and rolling news, but for flagship shows, being there in the studio still counts.
And don’t forget case studies. The BBC loves real people and real businesses affected by Budget policies, but they have to be credible. A farmer worrying about inheritance tax who’ll never pay it, or a businessman “hit by fuel costs” with a second home in Monaco won’t make the cut.
Diversity matters – the BBC is working hard to reflect modern Britain. Programmes still feature their share of middle-aged white male experts, but producers are actively seeking new voices. If your client or spokesperson breaks the mould, you odds of getting on air increase dramatically.
Your guide to getting BBC press coverage around the Budget
The BBC and the Budget: Where, When and How to Get Coverage is your strategy manual. You’ll learn how the BBC plans its Budget coverage, how to time your approach, and how to give producers exactly what they need, when they need it.
The guide – and Jonty Bloom’s expert advice – will help you stand out, pitch at the right time, and hopefully land your spokesperson on air.
Download your free copy of the guide now and be ready when Budget week arrives.
The BBC and the Budget
Your must-have manual to landing BBC press coverage around the Autumn Budget.
Secure BBC budget coverage with our guide
Learn about the different types of Budget coverage and identify media opportunities.
