Statements of Programme Policy
BBC One Programme Policy 2010/2011
Service remit
BBC One's remit is to be the BBC's most popular mixed-genre television service across the UK, offering a wide range of high-quality programmes. It should be the BBC's primary outlet for major UK and international events and it should reflect the whole of the UK in its output. A very high proportion of its programmes should be original productions.
Controller's vision for the service in 2010/2011
My vision is for BBC One to continue to be the most watched channel in Britain, offering a rich mix of high-quality factual, drama and entertainment programmes to engage, surprise and delight audiences.
BBC One programmes hold a special place in many people's hearts and I value and respect that. I intend to provide programmes that appeal to existing BBC One viewers while reaching out to people who come to the channel less frequently. Over the past year, we have successfully refreshed key factual titles while reintroducing engaging lifestyle programming to the channel with shows such as Jimmy's Food Factory, Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers and Famous, Rich And Homeless. I have also brought popular science back to the heart of the peak-time schedule with Bang Goes The Theory. This year I want to extend this evolutionary process to other areas and find more innovative ways of bringing thought-provoking programming to BBC One audiences, with a special focus on history.
It is important that BBC One continues to be bold and creative. I will innovate with our entertainment slate, bringing new ideas and formats to a broad audience. I also want to foster talent to develop a new mainstream comedy for the channel, while taking risks with some innovative post-watershed ideas. And in drama, I want to offer the audience challenging, thought-provoking pieces alongside the strong continuing series that are so loved and valued by BBC One viewers.
Finally, BBC One should continue to be the place where the nation comes at times of great significance. Whether it's for the General Election or the World Cup, Children In Need or Christmas Day, I want BBC One to be the number one choice.
Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One
Key challenges for BBC One in 2010/2011
Challenge: Ensuring that our schedule includes a rich mix of programmes that are seen as distinct and different from those on other channels, through creating new innovative programmes for our audience.
- We will introduce new ideas and approaches in factual programming. One example is a family-oriented invention show in collaboration with Aardman, featuring Wallace and Gromit.
- We will continue to refresh our entertainment programming by commissioning new, bold formats. We are particularly interested in creating physical, visual formats and have a number of series with potential in development.
- In drama we are aiming to deliver a number of distinct, unique productions, including Deep, which is a thriller set on a submarine; Outcasts, a ground-breaking science fiction piece from the team behind Spooks; and The Silence, with a storyline about a young deaf protagonist.
Challenge: Continuing to engage our audience with serious factual content.
We will continue to encourage new approaches in natural history with programmes such as the Lost Land series, and will extend this in 2010/2011 with a wide range of factual programming, maintaining landmarks in the schedule.
- As a central plank of the BBC One arts offering we have Modern Masters, presented by a new arts specialist who brings a fresh approach to the subject matter.
- We have a landmark history series in collaboration with BBC Learning which will use immersive 'living history' to tell the story of the British high street through the past 70 years.
- As part of World Of Wonder, the BBC's Year Of Science, we have refreshed Child Of Our Time with a major multi-platform venture, The Big Personality Test, and the new series of Bang Goes The Theory will encourage the audience to carry out experiments online.
- We will work on imaginative ways to bring current affairs to a mainstream audience by producing bold documentaries and building on the topical feature format Famous, Rich And..., along with pursuing our strategy at 10.35pm to feature content with younger, more diverse appeal and commissioning a mix of one-off documentaries covering a broad range of topics and repeating certain BBC Three shows.
Challenge: Bringing the nation together through major sporting events and new large-scale entertainment formats, representing and reflecting the whole of the UK.
The BBC is committed to producing programmes from around the UK and therefore has introduced a policy to set up centres of excellence for production in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Key programmes will be produced in these centres of excellence, such as Casualty (Wales) and the National Lottery shows (Scotland).
- In 2010/2011, BBC One will bring audiences together through an exciting World Cup story from South Africa over the summer.
- Event programming is an important way to bring broad audiences to the channel. We plan to do this through new series of The Apprentice, Junior Apprentice and Masterchef, and our coverage of key events such as Children In Need and the Pope's visit. We are continuing to develop new stand-out programmes like these, for example a new business format in production featuring British entrepreneur Jo Malone.
- Following on from the success of Gavin And Stacey, we will commission more shows that have regional or national identity in their DNA, for example Mrs Brown from the renowned Irish comedian Brendan O'Carroll and Pink Ladies set in the north-west of England.
- Inside Out and The One Show will continue to unite the UK by broadcasting engaging local stories and showing regional films.
- Shows such as Rip-Off Britain will come from different parts of the country and Crimewatch Roadshow from four different locations away from London.
- Following on from successes such as Small Island, Waterloo Road and So You Think You Can Dance, we will continue to develop and promote diverse actors and performers.
Other programming highlights
Daytime
- BBC One will continue to increase its emphasis on factual events (Rewind The 60s), current affairs (Fake Britain) and consumer journalism (Save My Holiday).
- With the returning series of Land Girls and Moving On alongside new comedy drama The Indian Doctor (working title), BBC One plans to cement its reputation for being the only broadcaster to provide UK-originated drama in daytime.
- The channel will also be ready to react to breaking news events with live specials during the day. It will also develop ideas which have the potential for moving into the peak-time schedule.
News and current affairs
- BBC One will continue to provide first-class news and current affairs coverage with the flagship programmes BBC News At Ten, Question Time and Panorama.
- We will continue our commitment to outstanding national and regional news output.
- We are planning innovative election coverage in the build-up to and on the night of the General Election, including coverage of the party leaders' debates.
Sport and events
- Event programming is a central part of BBC One. This year, in addition to the usual sporting calendar with highlights which include Wimbledon and Formula 1, the channel will have an exciting World Cup story from South Africa over the summer.
- We will also have a new-look Children In Need event in the autumn and we have commissioned a number of stand-out pieces for the BBC One Christmas schedule.
Factual
- As well as the return of successful series Bang Goes The Theory, Jimmy's Food Factory and the Famous, Rich And... strand, we have a number of high-profile programmes in production. Thirty Years Younger (working title) will take a group of 80 year olds and transport them back in time by getting them to live life as they did in their fifties, with the aim of seeing how this impacts on the ageing process. Andrew Marr will present a new BBC One landmark series, Metropolis.
Religion
- Alongside BBC One's weekly commitment to Songs Of Praise and The Big Questions, we will continue to represent all major UK religions by focusing on key festivals. We have commissioned a major drama event about the Nativity to be stripped across the schedule.
Drama
- We will continue to bring first-class drama serials to a BBC One audience with continued investment in EastEnders, Waterloo Road, Casualty and Holby City. We will also have successful returning series Waking The Dead, Spooks, Hustle and Silent Witness alongside new dramas: Five Daughters, about the Ipswich murders, Luther, The Silence and Deep.
Entertainment
- Together with the exciting new formats in development, BBC One will be bringing a new Andrew Lloyd Webber talent search to the screens in the form of Over The Rainbow.
- We will continue to foster Michael McIntyre as key BBC One talent with a new series of his Roadshows, and there will be new series of Live At The Apollo, QI, Have I Got News For You and The Graham Norton Show.
Comedy
- BBC One is looking to revitalise mainstream family comedy by putting resources into funding a series of pilots. We are experimenting with innovative formats that go beyond the classic situation comedy with shows such as Mrs Brown, and we are trying a new comedy drama in the form of Pink Ladies. We have also invested in a new series of the critically acclaimed Outnumbered.
Access
- The BBC is committed to making its content widely accessible. We therefore provide subtitling for all our programmes and ensure that at least 10% of relevant programmes carry audio description and at least 5% of our programmes are signed.
Conditions: BBC purposes and BBC One commitments
Unless otherwise stated, all commitments are minimum hours and include originations, repeats and acquisitions. All conditions are annual unless otherwise stated.
Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence
- 45 hours of arts and music. (Does not include output broadcast overnight in the Sign Zone.)
Promoting education and learning
- 700 hours of new factual programmes.
- 1,500 hours of children's programmes, shared commitment with BBC Two.
Reflecting the UK's nations, regions and communities
- 110 hours of religious programming, shared commitment with BBC Two. (Does not include output broadcast overnight in the Sign Zone.)
Statutory commitments
In these commitments, peak time is defined as 18.00-22.30 hours.
The following quotas are agreed with Ofcom and are measured across a calendar year (results being published at bbc.co.uk/annualreport):
- A minimum of 25% of qualifying hours are provided by independent producers.
- A minimum of 70% of all hours, and 90% of hours in peak time, to be original productions.
- To maintain the current broad pattern of news programmes throughout the day, with a minimum of 1,380 hours of network news programming, of which at least 275 hours are in peak time.
- A minimum of 3,920 hours of regional news programmes, of which 2,010 hours are in peak time.
In addition, BBC One shares the following commitments with BBC Two:
- A minimum of 365 hours of network current affairs programming, of which at least 105 hours will be in peak time.
- A minimum of 655 hours of regional programmes in peak time, plus a further 280 hours at times adjacent to peak time (i.e. the hour either side of peak time), excluding news on BBC One.
- A minimum of 6,270 hours of regional programming across the range of genres, including regional news programmes for BBC One.
- At least 95% of regional programmes should be made in the relevant area.
And in conjunction with other BBC network television services:
- A minimum of 30% of relevant programme production budgets, representing a minimum of 25% hours of productions by volume, to be spent outside the M25.
- To maintain the current broad range of programmes produced outside the M25, and broad range of different production centres used across the UK.
- A minimum of 25% of qualifying hours across all of the BBC's network and non-network television services are provided by independent producers.
The BBC observes Ofcom's Access Services Code. BBC One has the following targets:
- A minimum of 90% of qualifying programming hours to have subtitling. Additionally, the BBC aims to subtitle 100% of actual programmes on the channel. (The relevant 12-month period runs from 1 April.)
- A minimum of 5% of qualifying programme hours to have signing. (The relevant 12-month period runs from 1 November.)
- A minimum of 10% of qualifying programme hours to have audio description. (The relevant 12-month period runs from 1 November.)
