Senior BBC boss based in city ‘could kick-start’ TV renaissance
THE BBC has a great opportunity to “reinvigorate television and production” in Birmingham by basing one of its most senior figures in the city, claims an industry trade body.
The Indie Club, a not-for-profit trade body which represents UK independent programme makers, is calling on the corporation to place the new controller of youth channel BBC Three in the city.
Damian Kavanagh recently announced he was leaving the post after four years to become managing director of Peaky Blinders coproducer Tiger Aspect.
BBC Three switched to an online-only channel in 2016 and later announced plans to move commissioning, publishing and some production teams to Birmingham by 2018.
Indie Club board member Nigel Harris said: “This is a great opportunity for the BBC to really help reinvigorate television and shortform production here in Birming- ham by appointing a new controller of BBC Three who lives and works in the city.
“If his or her commissioning team is also based in the Midlands, it will have a massively positive impact in kick-starting production here.
“Having CBBC’s controller Cheryl Taylor based in MediaCity with her team has made a hugely positive impact on the TV sector in the north and the Midlands could benefit in the same way.
“This would send a strong signal of its commitment to production in the Midlands, which will help attract other major world players such as Netflix, Amazon, Facebook or Apple.”
Indie Club chief executive Charles Lauder added: “Appointing a BBC Three controller in the Midlands would be a major move towards its aspirations to continue to produce content that helps shape our society, is relevant to and reflective of its audiences, made by people who better understand their lives.
“It would be a significant part of the BBC’s own ‘Big Shift’ – a giant step towards fulfilling the commitment to do more and spend more outside London.”
In 2015, the Birmingham Post launched a campaign to highlight the BBC’s lack of investment in the Midlands region, despite the fact that around a quarter of the licence free is generated here.
The Beeb’s 2017/18 annual report showed just 1.9 per cent cent of its eligible budget was spent in the Midlands, an area it defines as the West and East Midlands and parts of East of England.
This paled in comparison to other areas listed in the report, with the Midlands ranked bottom of the list, despite the fact it is the largest of the seven regions as defined by the BBC for its financial reporting.