BBC to offer church services, well-being tips, recipes and the best ‘escapist’ output
Corporation reaffirms pledge to inform, educate and entertain the nation ‘all the way through’
THE BBC is to broadcast keep-fit classes for the elderly and virtual church services as it assumes a greater public service role “at this time of national need”.
The corporation will also provide lessons on iplayer for children in every school year group while schools are closed.
Health Check UK Live, a daily daytime show, will address the concerns of viewers in self-isolation, offering tips on how to stay happy and active at home. It will include a gentle exercise class. Various fitness gurus are under consideration, including Derrick Evans, known as Mr Motivator, and Diana Moran, the “Green Goddess”.
The BBC Food website will focus on recipes that can be made from storecupboard ingredients, aimed especially at older people.
The “virtual” service will be broadcast across every local radio station in England, beginning this Sunday and led by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for those unable to attend church. There is a plan to broadcast a weekly Sunday morning service on BBC One, and the corporation is exploring ways to cover other religions.
Local radio stations will join up with volunteer groups to coordinate support for the elderly, housebound or people at risk, making sure they know what help is available in their area.
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, the BBC director-general, said: “We need to pull together to get through this. That’s why the BBC will be using all of its resources to help keep the nation informed, educated and entertained. The BBC will be there for the public all the way through.”
Lord Hall added that there will also be entertainment programmes “with the ambition of giving people some escapism and hopefully the odd smile”.
Regular programming will be curtailed, however. Filming on BBC dramas Eastenders, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City has shut down.
The suspension means that viewers are likely to see more repeats. The makers of Line of Duty announced filming of the latest series was on hold.
The BBC is adding more archive shows to the iplayer, including Spooks and Wallander, and to its radio stations. Radio 4 will broadcast The Complete Smiley, dramatisations of all eight of John le Carre’s George Smiley novels, and the novels of the Brontë sisters.
The editor of The Archers has said enough episodes of the BBC Radio 4 show have been recorded to ensure broadcasts “for the weeks ahead”.
Jeremy Howe did not confirm whether recording had been halted, but added: “We’re working on plans for beyond this given there are significant challenges and the safety and well-being of the production team and cast are paramount.”
Arts coverage will be rebranded as Culture in Quarantine. Output will include a new filmed recording of Mike Bartlett’s Albion, which recently closed at the Almeida Theatre.
Meanwhile, new public information films voiced by actor Mark Strong will air with advice for households and carrying the slogan: “Protect Yourself. Protect Others. Protect the NHS.”