The BBC has been “cut to the bone” and will struggle to produce quality public service broadcasting on any less money, the veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has said.

In an interview for the Daily Telegraph, the former BBC2 controller, who has worked at the corporation since 1952, said: “If you could demonstrate the BBC was grossly extravagant there might be a case for saying OK take it away.

“But in fact the BBC is as cheap as you can find anywhere in the world. The BBC has gone through swingeing staff cuts, it has been cut to the bone.”