The BBC has sold Origin Publishing, the specialist magazine company it bought two years ago, to a management buyout team, following the commercial review that said the titles did not fit into the corporation’s remit.

In Mark Thompson’s radical shakeup of the service at the end of 2004, BBC Magazines was told it could only publish titles directly linked to TV programmes, while Origin, which owns titles such as Your Hair and Cross Stitch Crazy, had to be sold.

BBC History, BBC Wildlife and Songs of Praise magazines, which were transferred to Origin when it was purchased, will be retained by the BBC in a new company, Bristol Magazines.