BBC to shift more programming outside London

Published Thursday 16 October 2008 at 11:40 by Matthew Hemley

Around 20% of the BBC’s drama programmes will be made in the nations by 2012 under plans laid out by the Corporation to boost out of London production.

Addressing the Royal Television Society last night, Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, said she wanted to see a “significant increase” in the amount of drama made in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and anticipated dramas produced in the nations would account for around a fifth of the BBC’s schedule by 2012.

The plan is part of a strategy set by the BBC Trust to make 50% of productions out of London by 2016.

As part of this strategy, Bennett announced seven locations around the UK would become centres of network television production excellence, with Scotland focusing on children’s, comedy, entertainment, drama and factual, Wales on drama, documentaries, factual formats and music and Belfast on current affairs, drama, factual, daytime, comedy and entertainment.

Bennett said: “More drama has been based in Northern Ireland recently. We want to keep this up, creating more sustainability and value for the drama sector.”

Elsewhere, five key London departments - BBC Children’s, BBC Formal Learning, parts of BBC Future Media & Technology, BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Sport - will move to Salford, while Birmingham will take on production of the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, making it the centre for horticulture programming, as well as factual and drama.

Finally, Bristol will have a main focus on factual programming, meaning Casualty - currently made in the city - is likely to be moved to Wales.

Bennett said: “Strategically, we believe that moving Casualty will play a significant part in fulfilling our commitment to building a creatively and economically sustainable centre of excellence for drama in Wales.”

She added: “In the event Casualty does move to Wales, the south-west will not lose out on quality-based drama in the future. The West Country offers a unique setting for location filming - in the last year, Casualty apart, five major drama series have been filmed there.”

Speaking about the future of commissioning at the BBC, Bennett said commissioning executives would “come to the talent” in the future, instead of producers and talent having to come to London with their ideas.

“Production people in the nations tell me that trekking down to London on planes and trains is not a great way to spend their time. We want the commissioning execs to be there for the production community instead of the production community being there for the commissioners,” she said.

To aid this, Bennett announced there would be new commissioning executives appointed, who will be based in the nations.