The Stage

Strong case for slimming down BBC, claims writer Antony Jay

Published Friday 4 July 2008 at 16:20 by Matthew Hemley

The BBC should be reduced to just one channel and one radio station in order to focus its spending on more distinguished programming, it was claimed today.

Yes, Minister co-creator Antony Jay made the claims in a report for think tank the Centre for Policy Studies, in which he said there was a strong case for “dismantling the BBC”.

He said: “It spends over £4 billion every year, most of it on undistinguished programmes which are indistinguishable from what is available on competitive unsubsidised channels.”

Jay said the corporation’s digital channels should “make their excuses and leave” and criticised the Corporation’s spend on “endless space-filler programmes”, particularly those in the cookery and gardening genres.

He also questioned whether the BBC could justify its spend on BBC Radio 3 and its five orchestras and choir.

“They are certainly not value for money. If the government wants to support them, the arts council could pay for it. And while Radio 4 is a unique speech channel, do Radios 1 and 2 provide programmes sufficiently different from what listeners can receive from commercial stations through their iPods to justify their £93 million a year?” he said.

Jay added: “The question is not whether the programmes are good, but whether they are a proper and cost-effective use of licence money.”

He said his proposed slimmed-down BBC should be committed to “making as much money as it can”, particularly by more “professional and aggressive marketing” to push its sales of programmes from its library.