Primetime BBC repeats up by 65%

THE number of peak-time repeats on BBC1 has risen by 65 per cent in a year, figures show.

Re- runs on the channel between 6pm and 10.30pm increased from 4 per cent in 2016/17 to 6.6 per cent in 2017/18, The Sunday Times reported.

On BBC2, 26.7 per cent of the primetime schedule has been repeats.

In 2005, the corporation’s then chairman, Sir Michael Grade, promised that primetime viewing hours on BBC1 and BBC2 would be ‘repeat-free zones’ within ten years.

The BBC said the number of repeats on BBC1 during primetime was higher last year because there was no major sporting event, such as the Olympics or World Cup.