Netflix poaching Attenborough from us is a compliment, says BBC

‘It’s a win-win for us, in a way, if a lot of people want to do some of the things the BBC does’

NETFLIX poaching Sir David Attenborough from the BBC should be viewed as a form of flattery, according to the corporation’s head of television.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’S director of content, insisted that she was not disappointed by Sir David’s decision to narrate the landmark Netflix documentary, Our Planet.

“I am so grateful for everything that Sir David does for us,” she said.

“He is an extraordinary broadcaster and we are so lucky to have him. It’s no surprise to me that global players say, ‘We want some of that, we want to make global shows as well’.

“It’s a win-win for us, in a way, if a lot of people want to do some of the things the BBC does – that’s sort of a compliment.”

Although Sir David has not left the BBC entirely and will record a programme for the corporation later this year, his move was a significant coup for Netflix and the first time that a US streaming service had encroached on the BBC’S traditional territory of lavish natural history.

The success was compounded by Our Planet securing the support of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, who attended its gala premiere at the Natural History Museum. In an interview with Radio Times, Ms Moore also defended Chris Packham, the nature presenter who has infuriated farmers by successfully campaigning for Natural England to revoke general licences to shoot “pest” birds.

Critics have accused Mr Packham of breaching BBC impartiality rules, but Ms Moore said: “Chris is a brilliant broadcaster.

“He’s not a BBC employee. He is able to have his own views and there are very clear guidelines about what he is able to talk about when he is doing programmes for us.”

Ms Moore’s remit covers the content of iplayer, as well as BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four, and she said the digital service must be allowed to house shows for longer than the current 30 days if it is to hang on to younger viewers.

“When I say ‘younger’, that term is becoming much broader now: people in their 30s, 40s and 50s – are beginning to say that ‘it’s frustrating when I go to iplayer having heard about this or that show and there are only episodes three to six’,” she said.

The interview coincided with the announcement of several new BBC commissions, including an adaptation of The Mirror and the Light, the final instalment in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy; another series of Last Tango in Halifax, Sally Wainwright’s popular drama; a second series of Ghosts, the late-night comedy from the makers of Horrible Histories; and a six-part series following a year in the life of Sainsbury’s – from boardroom to shop floor.