The Stage

Annual report admits BBC needs to be more original

Published Tuesday 12 July 2005 at 13:40 by Liz Thomas

BBC Television produced a greater volume of distinctive and quality programmes broadcast this year but needs to do much more to meet audience demands, the Corporation’s board of governors has admitted in the annual review.

The report commended BBC1 for rejuvenating Saturday night television with family drama such as Doctor Who and entertainment shows such as Strictly Come Dancing. However, it said that while drama was central to the appeal of the channel, the genre needed to be continually revitalised to meet the licence fee payers’ expectations for a full range of original productions.

It also conceded that there had been serious problems with the flagship soap. It said: “EastEnders continues to be an important part of the schedule although questions have been asked about its quality, relevance and competitive strength - problems that the programme’s new management has begun to grapple with.”

Echoing concerns highlighted by director-general Mark Thompson, the governors also demanded that the volume of lifestyle shows, which grew from almost nothing to making up 10% of BBC1’s peak time schedule in 2003/4, be drastically reduced over the next year. Drawing on last year’s annual report and research by the Corporation that found viewers wanted less repeat programmes in the peak time schedule, the governors also said that the current 10% ceiling should be lowered even further by 2006.

The report also said that more needed to be done to build up the Corporation’s comedy profile. “When the BBC gets British comedy right, the rewards in terms of audience appreciation are high. However, our review found some evidence of a legacy of dissatisfaction with BBC1 sitcoms, seen as ‘too focussed on middle class suburbia’ and which compared poorly with sophisticated US imports. There is ground to be made up here,” it said.

Dwindling audience figures for BBC2 were also highlighted as a cause for concern with the review calling for the channel to build up its reach without compromising its range of original programming in arts and culture.

• Broadcasting unions have called on senior BBC executives to follow Thompson’s lead and waive the performance-related bonuses they have been awarded. The director-general was set to receive an extra £135,000 on top of his £453,000 salary but turned it down because it “would not have felt right” in the wake of his cost saving plans, which will lead to the loss of almost 4,000 jobs. Other members of the executive board will share an extra £500,000.