I got a fairly similar, but briefer, synopsis from the CC on a LHR-TXL flight this week. It does indeed sound like there isn’t going to be a lot of wasted space at the back, including for the crew seats during take off and landing.

The CC version did sound fearfully like a further race to the bottom for non-status travellers who don’t have the opportunity to select a seat further forward, but with the curtain lottery still in full flow it’s going to be an even bigger blow to be seat shifted with even less chance of moving back to something semi-decent.

This would probably make me think twice about travelling BA on short haul (although the recline doesn’t bother me as I don’t usually bother below two hours), with *A carriers generally offering a more reliable experience.