Bland BBC1 now takes fewer risks, MPs told
BBC1 has lost its edge and now relies too heavily on quiz shows and lifestyle programmes, a governmentbacked report said yesterday.
The channel, which costs more than £1billion a year to run, is ‘less innovative and less risk-taking’ than it was a decade ago, the study claimed.
The BBC has increased the number of entertainment shows during that period, with series such as The Great British Bake Off and The Voice.
The study claimed that it has edged out documentaries, coverage of classical music and the arts, and ‘specialist factual’ shows on subjects such as science, health and history.
The report, commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: ‘At least in some dimensions BBC1 has become less distinctive, BBC1 has increased its entertainment output at the expense of the volume of specialist factual and documentaries.’
The report, by media analysts Oliver and Ohlbaum Associates and Oxera Consulting, criticised the bland lineup of programmes during the daytime in particular, where there is ‘a lack of variability and a reliance on cheaper factual entertainment titles around “house and home” subjects’. The review also criticised BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 5 Live for treading on the toes of their commercial rivals, costing them up to £38million a year.
The BBC said yesterday: ‘This report appears to propose a BBC designed for the convenience of its competitors not the enjoyment of audiences.’
A separate government review recommended the BBC should be regulated by Ofcom instead of the BBC Trust. It said the ‘flawed’ Trust’s combined roles as the broadcaster’s cheerleader and regulator led to ‘confusion’.