Brits living abroad will be cut off from scores of the BBC's radio stations and Sounds content as the broadcaster tries to slim down its international output. The massive overhaul of its overseas offering will be introduced in a matter of weeks, forcing expats trying to avoid a blackout of their favourite radio shows and podcasts to find new ways to listen in. BBC Sounds - the audio streaming app for radio, podcasts and music - will no longer be available abroad as the broadcaster bolsters its exclusive content for UK licence fee payers, according to the Telegraph. International audiences will instead need to subscribe to a new service on BBC.com - which is funded by advertisers - or the organisation's app. But it will leave the less tech-savvy expats struggling to access 'vital' services from back home unless they are able to install a virtual private network (VPN), which allows people to bypass blocks on content from other countries by hiding their IP address. Some content will only be available on paid-for services on third-party services such as Apple and Spotify, while swathes of radio programming and podcasts will be removed altogether. Kirsty Lang, who fronts Radio 4 shows such as Front Row, Last Word and Round Britain Quiz, said the savage cuts would be 'devastating for all our overseas listeners'. She added: 'BBC Radio is a vital lifeline to so many overseas listeners. I have no idea why they're cutting it or why they can't introduce a subscription for people living outside the UK.' The BBC insisted Brits living overseas would still be able to access Radio 4 and the World Service and would also still be able to listen to more than 1,000 popular podcasts. BBC Sounds users will also lose access to their subscriptions and bookmarked programmes, and will have to set them up again manually, the Telegraph reports. The BBC said: 'BBC Sounds is a UK licence fee-funded service. To offer better value for our UK listeners, BBC Sounds will be repositioned and made available exclusively to UK audiences.' Speaking last year, the BBC's director general Tim Davie announced the corporation wanted to look at reforming the licence fee. He said the BBC's income had effectively fallen by around 30 per cent between 2010 and 2020 and that the annual savings target would rise by £200m to £700m a year by 2028. It was then reported earlier this year that the BBC TV licence fee could be scrapped and replaced by funding from general taxation under plans said to be being considered by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. She is said to be minded to abolish the annual fee at the end of the Corporation’s current charter in December 2027. And there were reports last night that the money to fund programmes would instead come from taxes collected by the Government. One source told the Sunday Times that Ms Nandy 'does not believe that the licence fee is financially sustainable'. It is the latest in a series of controversies to have embroiled bosses at the beleaguered Channel. Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom warned earlier this month that the BBC's controversial Gaza documentary had undermined trust in the service. The regulator intervened after the BBC admitted it had paid the family of a top official from terror group Hamas to appear in the programme. In a letter to BBC chairman Samir Shah, Ofcom accused the corporation of undermining trust in its journalism. The documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, was removed from BBC iPlayer last month after it was revealed that its central figure, child narrator Abdullah, 14, was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a deputy agriculture minister in Gaza's Hamas-run government. The BBC has acknowledged 'serious flaws' in the making of the documentary and is conducting an internal probe. But Ofcom chairman Michael Grade said in a public letter: 'The BBC has publicly acknowledged there were serious failings which have raised important questions that the BBC must answer. 'Ofcom has concerns about the nature and gravity of these failings and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC's journalism. 'It is crucial that the causes of those errors are investigated, and that systems are put in place to ensure they cannot recur.' He added: 'We will continue to keep the situation under close review and will expect regular updates from the BBC and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we feel it necessary.' It later emerged the Corporation was hiring a £125,000-a-year Head of Belonging. The Corporation is offering the generous salary for a Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging who will be in charge of creating 'an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels they can belong'. The position was announced at a time when the BBC has admitted to 'serious flaws' by blowing £400,000 on a Gaza documentary fronted by the teenage son of a Hamas government official. It is also trying to recoup £200,000 from disgraced news anchor Huw Edwards that was paid to him between his arrest for child abuse images and his resignation. Tory MP Joe Robertson said: 'Once again, British licence fee payers are being fleeced - more overpaid management roles means more rubbish on the telly. 'Diversity and inclusion should already be embedded through the BBC and supported by the HR department. These grossly overpaid roles need to be scrapped. A BBC source said the hybrid post, which is 35 hours a week, would consolidate two roles in the diversity and inclusion team, which is part of its HR department.