BBC plans to wipe culture from our screens

sir – I am disappointed beyond measure by the news that the BBC intends to wind down BBC Four, cutting its budget and, worst of all, moving it online. This is “justified” by reallocating funds to BBC One and BBC Two, and moving BBC Three in the reverse direction, back to broadcast.

This is a tacit avowal that to be broadcast is greatly preferable to being online – otherwise why this move for BBC Three, in an express attempt to secure more of the youth audience? The Corporation freely admits this is an explicit chase for ratings.

Leaving aside that this skewed stance is inappropriate for a publicservice broadcaster effectively financed by a poll tax, the Beeb seems surprised by a return of younger viewers as the coronavirus situation unfolded. It quite possibly drew the wrong conclusions.

In these unprecedented times, the young, like the old, are thirsty for news. But might BBC Three as an online channel not be easier of access than broadcast television for the young at home in lockdown in front of computers?

The converse tends to be true for the older generation, who will feel betrayed, not only if BBC Four is made less accessible but also if, starved of funds, it ceases to offer the range of excellent programmes it currently provides.

Lord Hall’s Commentary (May 20) neatly summed up how an extraordinary situation, combined with a frenzied pursuit of ratings among the young, endangers the one BBC channel with a superb record in the arts, culture and history. This is a betrayal and a cause for shame.

Dugald Barr

London W8