It’s an annual event. Each year the BBC Trust issues a service report praising much of the core channels’ output but attacking “formulaic and derivative” programming and calling for more ambition in peak-time.
The report gives the BBC-bashing papers further ammunition. Management reels off a list of great BBC dramas, current affairs investigations and so on to disprove the Trust’s criticisms.
And a Ready, Steady, Cook or some long-mouldering lifestyle show is axed in daytime to show that the Trust is being taken seriously. Although in reality, things carry on just as before because the Trust has no real sanction in these matters.
This time it’s BBC Two which is having a really bad time of it. The shows many people associate with the channel are its Strictly – It Takes Two spin-off and Masterchef: The Professionals, whichcould be on BBC One.
The Trust says BBC Two must become “manifestly different from BBC One even at the risk that BBC Two’s reach may fall”.
In comedy, the Trust has possibly overlooked the thoughtful Dawn French series Roger and Val Have Just Got In, Whites, Psychoville and the promising new Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon series, The Trip.
But there is a death of risk-taking on BBC One and BBC Two, as evidenced by the number of cheap, panel shows presented by the latest stand-up comic to roll off the production line.
The Trust criticism is not a great sign-off for Jay Hunt before the BBC One Contoller moves on to become programme boss at Channel 4. She can point to acclaimed dramas on serious topics like Five Daughters.
Does it really matter if Daytime programmes are derivative if money is saved for prime-time? Was replacing Jonathan Ross on Friday nights with Graham Norton a failure to take a risk or a cost-effective solution which might revitalise a popular slot?
But why has Channel 4 poached a BBC exec to become Chief Creative Officer who failed, according to The Trust, to “increase the level of range, variety and surprise in pre-watershed peak time, and show greater creative ambition at 9pm”?
Danny Cohen has already promised more risk-taking as he moves over from BBC Three. This time management has been give a year to show real improvement. Will deputy heads then roll?
There has to be real concern over the performance of BBC Four though. The Trust. Its programmes are seen as ”high quality and distinctive by its audience.”
But the review found that BBC Four ”does not significantly influence wider audience perceptions of the BBC” and says the channel must increase its impact without expanding its budget. That’s not good news when the BBC is facing a 16 per cent licence fee cut.
It was precisely the same mix of programme praise but warning over impact in a BBC Trust review that prompted BBC management to propose the ill-fated axing of 6 Music. Is middle England prepared to revolt against a possible BBC Four closure?
The problem is too much effluent in the pipe.
Maybe if there was less choice of mediocrity and a reduction of news?
Seems that The BBC should be doing the big ticket items and leaving the crudd to the likes of ITV and $ky.
“The report gives the BBC-bashing papers further ammunition…” – Absolutely.
The BBC Trust continues to be the headless chicken it has always been, even more frightened of the Daily Mail and Murdoch Militia than BBC management are. Bring back the old Board of Governors; it was swept away by political opportunists in the wake of the Hutton whitewash and the BBC has been destabalised ever since. Governing parties might prefer the BBC that way, but it is definitely not to the best interests of licence fee payers who cannot trust any Government to respect the BBC’s editorial – and more importantly – financial independence.