Stop having a go at us! BBC chief ’s whinge as TV repeats are savaged
the BBC launched an astonishing attack on its critics yesterday, accusing them of being crazy, lazy, cynical and shoddy.
A senior executive lashed out at those who dared to criticise the corporation’s huge salaries or to point out that the Christmas TV schedule was stuffed with repeats. danny Cohen, who earns £327,800 as director of television, had an unseemly twitter spat with a reporter who questioned why 62 per cent of the festive output on BBC1 and BBC2 will be old shows.
At the same time, the BBC’s communications department attacked the Sun after it questioned executive salaries and whether licence fee payers are getting value for money.
Speaking at a preview of the BBC’s festive line-up, Mr Cohen called for opponents of the BBC to tone down their criticism.
‘Perhaps this is time for a little less of the critical friend and a bit more of the friend,’ he said. ‘It would be crazy to damage, undermine or deflate what we have done.’
Mr Cohen accepted that the BBC ‘doesn’t get everything right’ and should be held to account. however, he raised eyebrows with his assertion that the BBC should be treated like a ‘company’.
‘We must avoid undermining this success story, this growth of the UK creative industries, this reputational dividend for UK plc,’ he said.
‘the BBC is a great British
‘We need it to flourish’
company, not a Government department. We need it to flourish and continue to be the spark that lights a thousand creative fires.’ Mr Cohen’s tone became angrier when he took to twitter after the event and attacked individual journalists for criticising the BBC. A string of newspapers, including the daily Mail, held the corporation to account for filling much of its Christmas schedule with old shows.
But Mr Cohen dismissed the reports as ‘poor journalism’ and ‘standard, lazy, annually repeated newspaper stories about the BBC’. he added: ‘the real story is the amazing talent on the BBC that week. Cynical, shoddy journalism.’
however, despite the strength of his language, Mr Cohen was unable to dispute the fact that Christmas repeats have soared in recent years. BBC2 is the worst offender, with repeats accounting for 74 per cent of its programming. overall, the number of repeats shown across BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 is believed to be the highest ever for the Christmas period.
the disclosure prompted MPs to ask Commons leader William hague for a parliamentary debate on whether the BBC was meeting its public obligations.
Conservative backbencher Alec Shelbrooke said: ‘ Could we please have a debate on the BBC getting back to its remit and charter on public broadcasting instead of lazily repeating more often than a hearty Christmas dinner?’
Mr hague refused the request but added: ‘ I’m sure – well, I hope – they will be listening to what you say in the BBC.’