BBC Words in the News 13/7 with transcript video

The scandal reads like the script of a European television thriller, melding politics with human drama.

The pressure had been growing on the prime minister since Friday when his chief of staff, Jana Nagyova, was charged with corruption and abuse of power. Detectives said she was suspected of bribing MPs with jobs in state-owned companies.

Last week, police raided government offices and seized $8m worth of cash and gold. The chief of staff is also accused of ordering spying on Prime Minister Necas’ wife.

Intriguingly, he said in his resignation speech that what he called the “twists and turns of his personal life” were a weight on the political situation in the country.

It is not clear if the president of the country will rule that there should be a new general election, or whether some form of the existing coalition government will continue with a different prime minister.

The Queen first visited Broadcasting House in 1939. Back then she was a young princess, accompanying her father King George VI and her mother, Queen Elizabeth. Fourteen years later she was crowned.

In her six decades as Queen, the BBC’s headquarters have seen many changes and challenges. During the Second World War the iconic art deco facade was damaged in the Blitz. Producers and announcers regularly took cover in a special air raid bunker. Since then, some of the building’s wood panelled offices have been made famous by those who worked in them. Room 101 gave George Orwell inspiration for his novel 1984.

In recent years, Broadcasting House has had a one-and-a-half billion dollar revamp. The Queen will see the state-of-the-art glass fronted extension and inspect the BBC’s multi-media newsroom.