BBC news and current affairs programmes, including coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show, will bear the brunt of three 24-hour strikes by journalists and technical staff announced today.

The protests on May 23, May 31 and June 1, are against plans to cut 3,800 jobs announced this year by Mark Thompson, the Director-General.

Among the programmes which could be hit on May 23 is BBC television coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show, which holds its press day on that date.

The stoppages are also likely to affect the evening news on BBC One, as well as current affairs programmes such as Newsnight. Sport and news are most at risk of being halted, because they are produced live, while the bulk of the rest of the BBC’s output is pre-recorded.

A fourth day of industrial action will be announced later, but the decision to hold the strikes on weekdays means that coverage of the FA Cup Final on May 21 will not be affected.

Gerry Morrissey, assistant general secretary of Bectu, said: "We will aim to cause the greatest amount of disruption possible to highlight our anger at the scale of job cuts and our concern about the effect these will have on the future of the BBC.

"We expect overwhelming support for the strikes and we hope the BBC will return to the negotiating table to discuss these unacceptable job cuts with us," he said. More than 80 per cent of Bectu members voted for the industrial action.

Mr Morrissey said the job losses were the most damaging in the BBC’s history and would mean almost one in five of the broadcaster’s workers being made redundant, with thousands more being transferred to other employers.

Members of the NUJ voted by 84 per cent in favour of industrial action in a 64 per cent turnout of its 3,500 journalists. Jeremy Dear, the union’s general secretary, said: "This result is a reflection of the huge anger at the scale and impact of Mark Thompson’s cuts."

A BBC spokesman said: "Given the scale of the changes that the BBC need to make and that the unions have not allowed us to talk to them in order to address their concerns we are not surprised by the ballot result, but we are disappointed because we would prefer to continue constructive discussions with them."

Mr Thompson announced in March that thousands of jobs were to go to make savings of £355 million by 2008.

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