Charlotte Moore backs big BBC1 returners

Director general Tony Hall and culture secretary John Whittingdale are said to have had “fundamental disagreements” over the distinctiveness of the BBC’s flagship channel during intense white paper discussions in recent weeks.

The 132-page document called on the corporation to ensure BBC1 is “more differentiated” from commercial rivals, stressing that commissioners should value innovation and quality over ratings.

It added that BBC1 “could have greater levels of ambition in its programming”.

But speaking to Broadcast, Moore gave an animated defence of the channel – and BBC distinctiveness across the board.

The controller of TV channels and iPlayer said BBC1 is home to programming “you won’t see anywhere else on television”. She added: “If you take any week at any one time, within that week there will be really distinctive shows.”

Moore accepted that “there’s always more that we can do”, but stressed that all new commissions are weighed up to ensure they have sufficient quality, creative ambition, range and home-grown talent.

Ofcom will be responsible for monitoring BBC1’s distinctiveness under new governance arrangements.

The government will ask Ofcom to ensure the channel boosts its commitment to public service genres and increase its volume of new programming.

BBC1 will also be asked to reduce its “heavy reliance on long-run series”, with the white paper singling out the channel’s “static daytime schedule” for particular criticism.

ITV director of television Kevin Lygo also noted a lack of flexibility in the BBC1 schedule in an interview with Broadcast this week.

He argued that the BBC should be trusted to sort out its own programming, but said a reliance on brands like Countryfile, Antiques Roadshow and Casualty can act as a barrier to ambition and experimentation.

“They’re brilliant – but do we have to have them on 30 or 40 weeks a year? If they were on half as much it would create the space and the money and opportunity to do new shows,” he said.

“You could argue the BBC need not be quite so focused on that consistent delivery and could try new and interesting things with new and interesting people.”

Moore refuted the idea that having returners in the schedule mitigates distinctiveness and pointed out that with 1,400 daytime hours to fi ll every year, long-running series represent value for money.

“Returners can, of course, be very distinctive,” she said. “You only have to look at last week’s Baftas: Have I Got News For You, Strictly, Bake Off – these are all big returning shows and they’re clearly seen as very distinctive in the landscape.”

Moore welcomed the extra scrutiny the BBC’s new charter will provide, pointing out that Ofcom already played a role in reporting on BBC distinctiveness. “That’s my mission – I don’t have a problem with anyone trying to track where I’ve succeeded or not,” she said.

A number of prominent industry figures had sympathy with Moore. A super-indie boss said the government’s attempt to define distinctiveness betrays a lack of understanding about commissioning.

“I would be worried about the use of that word as the ultimate judge of BBC1,” the source said.

“Commissioners could end up tying themselves up in knots if commissioning distinctive programming is their raison d’être. The thing that makes BBC1 distinctive is it does not commission shows on the basis that they will sell toothpaste and cars.”

Former BBC trustee and Fremantle Media chairman David Liddiment said that the BBC needs to strike a balance between a natural desire to reach large audiences with the need to deliver fresh and innovative content.

“If the BBC is full of anxiety that they might lose a point or two of share, and that somehow that would threaten the universality of the BBC, then they will start to lose the plot. There has to be some degree of monitoring to ensure these things are in a healthy balance,” he said.

Nick Catliff, managing director of Homes Under The Hammer indie Lion TV, said the show – which was singled out for criticism in the white paper – is made in Glasgow and has developed diverse talent, with Dion Dublin joining as a presenter. “They’re collateral benefits but important ones,” he said.