Ofcom to make BBC cater for all ages

OFCOM has vowed to make the BBC show a wider range of age groups on screen, as it warned that older women feel ‘negatively portrayed’ on television.

The broadcasting watchdog said it will introduce ‘much tougher’ rules to make sure programmes reflect modern-day Britain.

It comes less than a month before Ofcom takes over regulation of the corporation from the BBC Trust.

Speaking at the Oxford media convention, Ofcom boss Sharon White said the BBC must make sure it shows both the young and

‘Stronger on diversity’

elderly, after research found many licence fee payers think the broadcaster is too focused on ‘middle-aged, middle-class audiences’.

It must also show more regional and ethnic diversity, with an even gender balance.

Ofcom found 15 per cent of women over 55 feel women their age are ‘fairly negatively’ portrayed on TV. Two per cent thought they were ‘very negatively’ portrayed, compared with 1 per cent of men the same age.

Asked if Ofcom would introduce diversity quotas, miss White said: ‘We haven’t finalised yet the full framework... but we are taking very seriously the fact that Parliament has set a new public purpose for the BBC which is much stronger on diversity in this charter than it has been before.’