Deverell: BBC children's could learn lessons from Five

Mr Men (Five)

• Increase image
• View all images

Showcomotion: BBC children's controller Richard Deverell has sparked fury from indies after suggesting the corporation should take a more commercial focus.

Speaking at the Showcomotion conference in Sheffield, Deverell cited the methods of Five director of children's programming Nick Wilson, showing admiration of his ability to commission and acquire commercial content and attract strong ratings on small budgets.

He said: "What Nick does at Five is very smart. I think we can learn a lot from that."

Deverall later told Broadcast that producers do not always understand how much the BBC needs to consider the commercial world in order to sell its content around the world.

However, indies were outraged that the BBC could ever have such a commercial focus.

Anne Brogan, director of Kindle Entertainment, said: "I'd be absolutely horrified if you learned anything from Five and were to operate in the way they do."

She added that she did not intend to denigrate Five's children's output but said it would offer children very little choice if the model were repeated on the BBC. She also claimed that Five pays just 10-15% of production costs, "if you're lucky". She added that if the BBC offered a similar level of investment, it would damage children's TV output.

Also speaking at the conference, Pact and Ofcom criticised the BBC saying it "grossly underplayed" the importance of plurality in children's television.

Pact head of policy development, Adam Minns said plurality is "absolutely crucial" in the sector and that the BBC had downplayed that "in many ways" in its submission to Ofcom's PSB review.

James Thickett, director of research at Ofcom, added: "I completely disagree with the BBC's submission [on that point]. In our research, it was crucial that children have a range of voices, ideas and perspectives."

Deverall said he strongly prizes plurality in the children's sector but that a pursuit of plurality should not be allowed to compromise quality, especially where funds are limited.

He also used the platform to urge the industry to step up its campaign to government for more funding or tax breaks to support the children's TV sector. "There's political goodwill there, but we need to be more prominent on their radar screens. We need to make them feel uncomfortable if they do nothing."