On BBC ONE we will continue to put the Arts at the heart of national consciousness - particularly by offering broader, including younger, audiences an opportunity to engage with the Arts.
Budget Information
- Opportunities in the WoCC in 10/11 and 11/12.
BBC One High Impact Programmes
Shape
3–4×60' series, singles and events
Requirement
Our Artistic Heritage
We've had great success in delivering programmes about history and heritage, shows like How We Built Britain, and recently The Victorians. We're keen to build on these successes, and future projects should stress the ways our heritage is relevant to the way we live now.
Authority and Innovation
In addition, we're looking for authoritative, but innovative treatments of the Arts to attract a modern audience. This might be in terms of the subjects, the treatments or both. For example, we have recently commissioned a series about the legacy of the 20th Century's most influential artists. In particular, think beyond the visual arts; which other areas of culture can resonate for a broad audience?
Inclusive treatments
The final requirement is for inclusive crowd pleasers - ideas to welcome a broad audience to the Arts. This more inclusive project could either be an interactive event (possibly a series to encourage people to participate in the artistic process) or early evening formatted documentary project.
How can we capture the national imagination with the Arts?
Imagine
Opportunities in the Inhouse and Indie Guarantees in 10/11 and 11/12.
Imagine is about the Arts stories that inform our lives and will continue to look for a range of the big living names and subjects. This is a broad range - everything from David Hockney (David Hockney - A Bigger Picture) to the Company of Elders dance troupe (Save the Last Dance for Me), and from Anish Kapoor to Dame Shirley Bassey.
 Download the full list of BBC ONE requirements [PDF, 17 Kb]
Arts on BBC Two
BBC Two is the channel of ideas and should aim to reflect the cultural life of the country.
In order to fully realise that ambition, we need to cover a wide range of subjects - literature, theatre, architecture as well as visual arts - and make an impact.
Programmes on TWO should help us make connections, placing the Arts in the wider context, helping to broaden and deepen the audience's relationship with the Arts. Authority and enthusiasm are paramount.
Budget Information
- Opportunities in the WoCC in 10/11 and 11/12. Five hours of the WoCC in 11/12 have regional quotas attached.
BBC TWO Landmarks
Shape
We're looking for series of 3×60' or more, as well as high impact singles and events.
Requirement
In our landmark programmes we are looking to explore the full range of the Arts, and to find new different approaches to subjects. Think beyond chronology. The upcoming modern season looks to answer the question 'Did the pursuit of beauty end when modern art was born?' What other questions about art and life could we be illuminating?
Our coverage of the visual arts will continue - we're looking to find fresh resonant, accessible ways to explore the Western Canon and beyond.
We're also keen to expand our pool of talent on TWO with charismatic experts who can inspire a broad factual audience and bring them to the Arts. Armando Iannucci and Robert Webb contributed to the poetry season; who else can engage audiences and speak about areas of the Arts they are passionate about? We are especially keen to find female presenters.
Broadening the Arts on TWO
We're looking for some of our output to makes moves to welcome in broader audiences to the Arts on TWO.
Different format approaches. Transformational titles like The Choir use the Arts to tell remarkable, uplifting human stories. Off By Heart captured the imagination, fusing a child's eye view of poetry with a real life competition format. What are the other ways we can treat the Arts to fire the imagination of broader audiences?
On-screen talent is important. Who are the faces who can bring in different audiences to the Arts, for example in the way that Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra brought together fans of comedy and music of all kinds?
Download the full list of BBC TWO requirements [PDF, 18 Kb]
Arts on BBC Three
BBC THREE is bold and upfront, dedicated to consistently finding innovative, challenging and entertaining new ways to engage its young adult audience.
Think how Blood, Sweat and Takeaways explored the ethics of food provenance, how Bizarre ER finds a way to do medicine and Britain's Missing Top Model questioned social perceptions of beauty.
How might the Arts capture their imagination in a way that feels brave, unexpected and completely original?
Budget Information
- Opportunities in 2010 and 2011 are in the WoCC.
BBC Three - Series of differing shapes and an Event
Shape
Series of differing shapes and an Event.
Requirement
Over the years, THREE has had success with bold events like Flashmob: the Opera, Naked City with Spencer Tunick and The Liverpool Nativity, all ambitious and unique. What event can light the imaginations of 16-34 year olds?
It might give our audience a unique way to express themselves, or on the other hand, it might deliberately set out to challenge, to split opinion, and provoke reaction.
Maybe there are ethical issues we can explore? Formatted current affairs subjects have met with success on the channel. Is there a way the arts can help young audiences address urgent issues that they face?
Download the full list of BBC THREE requirements [PDF, 18 Kb]
Arts on BBC Four
The aim of BBC FOUR is to bring the cultural world to life in interesting ways - shining a light on sometimes particular subjects and bringing them to life with distinctive imagination.
Programmes should stimulate debate and champion new thinking with real substance and fresh opinion. Crucially, they should find original ways to engage audiences.
Across the board, we want more of our programming to embrace a more experimental approach. How can we surprise our audience? It might be subject matter, but it could equally be our approach. Flashmobs, 3D, Live are possible; what's going to break the surface in a digital environment?
BBC FOUR seasons will continue to be commissioned across more than one genre - and Arts will contribute with singles and short series.
Budget Information
- Opportunities in 2010/11 and 11/12 in the in-house guarantee, independent quota, and the WoCC. A number of hours have a Nations quota attached here so we're on the look out for ideas from around the UK.
3 × 60' Authored Series on FOUR
These series should cover a variety of Arts territories and find distinctive approaches and treatments to bring them to life. In particular, these series need to be driven by a clear, compelling and original proposition.
We're always on the lookout for expert, imaginative talent who can inspire us to think again about subjects we thought we knew, or spark our imagination with areas we've never thought to explore.
Presenter-led singles, as part of seasons
Presenter-led singles, as part of seasons, headed by familiar faces we want to spend time with. Simon Armitage made an impassioned case for re-considering Gawain and the Green Knight in a modern context, and Robert Bartlett took us inside the medieval mind. Paul Merton on Hitchcock showed a presenter with real enthusiasm and knowledge of his subject, directed with personality and flair.
These might be the ideas of recognisable experts like Simon Armitage's take on Sir Gawain; they might be passion pieces of non Arts experts, like Paul Merton's take on Hitchcock.
30' shows for early in the evening
We're also looking for 30-minute shows for earlier in the evening. What are the subjects and treatments that feel like time well spent at this time, building on the success of programmes like Wainwright's Walks and Masterpieces of the British Museum?
Download the full list of BBC FOUR requirements [PDF, 17 Kb]
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