Staff at Glasgow’s Pacific Quay were told on Wednesday that job cuts are on the way, and as many as 60 roles could be cut, The Times reported.

The corporation is to make “difficult decisions” as part of the first phase of its bid to save £500 million over the next three years, which is expected to see around 1800-2000 jobs lost.

In June, BBC director-general Matt Brittin announced that 550 of the planned roles to be cut would be taken from BBC News and TV and radio-related roles.

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Brittin also announced the BBC is to axe programmes and cut content spending by £80m, and added it would “review our broadcast TV channels and radio network portfolio”.

The Times reported that the BBC Scotland TV channel, which was launched in 2019, could be on the chopping block.

Earlier this week, the BBC came under fire after refusing to release data about spending on the channel following a Freedom of Information request.

A BBC insider told The Times that “only a handful of the most high-profile presenters will feel that their jobs are safe”, while the mood inside Pacific Quay is “ugly” and there “was talk of strike action”.

Nick McGowan-Lowe, the National Union of Journalists’ Scotland organiser, said: “The NUJ will be both fighting to save these jobs in Scotland, making sure workloads are manageable for remaining staff, and campaigning for immediate UK Government intervention.

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“These are severe cuts at BBC Scotland, and they come at a time where there has never been a greater need for quality public service broadcasting.

“This constant cycle of cuts and cost-saving undermines the BBC’s core mission to inform, educate, and entertain – and it must end.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “BBC Scotland is making proportionate savings across all departments and management have been holding meetings with staff to explain how these can be achieved.

“Some colleagues have taken up an offer of voluntary redundancy, and some are in roles which have been placed at risk of redundancy. We continue to consult and work with those colleagues and our unions to consider all options to avoid compulsory redundancy.”

At the end of July, the BBC cancelled TV shows Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live At The Apollo in the latest round of cuts amid “funding challenges”.