Our development priorities are updated for every commissioning round (last updated Jul 2009). We also include information on the commissioning team and process.
Specialist Factual now commissions all video content on all platforms including bbc.co.uk, mobiles and interactive 'red button' services as well as for television.
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Background
History and Business programming at the BBC is world class - programmes should strive to offer up stories that our audiences are itching to hear more of; their quality should be world class and authority unquestionable.
Business should look at all aspects of industry, the workplace, economics and government to answer the key questions all Britons are increasingly asking about the way their world works today.
In terms of knowledge building, History is one of our most important genres, and history programming should look to cover all areas of history - finding new ways into the familiar, and covering the unfamiliar by telling untold stories that demand to be brought to light.
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Development Priorities July 2009 - October 2009
Full details of our specific Development Priorities are available here.
- Immersive or Formatted Series
- Stand-out Singles
- Big History Series
- Big Ideas
- Immersive Journeys
- Risk-Taking Singles
Multiplatform
- History Tools
- Physical History - 360 Format Innovation
- Business Tools
- Games
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What's been working well?
Victorian Farm: A genuinely transformative format that wore its learning lightly, this programme brought to life the realities of the era through an immersive journey full of endearing and very real characters.
My Family At War: An 'as it happens' treatment of history that imparted a real feeling of time and place in a moving way.
Mud, Sweat and Tractors: Explored the history of contemporary British farming - a remarkable economic story that was enlivened with warmth and nostalgia through the clever use of archive.
The Victorians: Jeremy Paxman brought genuine interest and a thesis to this look at the Victorian period through the paintings of the time.
Repossessed: Following three families as they try to save their homes from repossession, Repossessed tapped into the national interest in a timely and moving way.
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The Audience
History and Business programming should aim to engage all audiences in the national conversation. Topics within these genres are both important and relevant, and programmes need to find ways to bring broad audiences to them.
History programmes should think about ways to inject energy into history for younger audiences without undermining their credibility with history lovers. Business programmes should exploit the increased interest in the topic area by building on the genre's naturally broad appeal; it's an opportune time to bring new viewers to business programming.
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Strands
Programme ideas can also be submitted to the editors of History and Business strands: The Money Programme and Timewatch.
Tariffs
Please read the full details regarding factual genre tariffs for independents.
Your Feedback
Your feedback about these development priorities is welcome here
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Martin Davidson |
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Cassian Harrison |
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| Sam Anthony (Scotland) |
Nick Shearman (Wales) |
James Hayes (Northern Ireland) |
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Max Gadney
History and Business, Features, Formats and Specialist Factual on BBC Three, Current Affairs and Religion |
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Anne Sullivan |
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- As from April 2007, all proposals must now be submitted via our e-Commissioning system.
- This enables both in-house and independent producers to track their submissions online.
- Proposals will no longer be accepted via email.
Timeline
• All proposals are registered on a confidential database and independent suppliers receive an acknowledgement of their proposal within two weeks of receipt.
• The relevant Commissioning Editor will either reject or progress proposals within six weeks of receipt (four weeks from acknowledgement.)
• Proposals may be provided with funded development, in which case the timetable to commission will be subject to negotiation between the external supplier and the BBC and determined by the development contract.
• The final decision will be no later than 20 weeks of receipt of the proposal. A successful proposal will be given approval by the relevant Commissioning Editor.
• Projects may be held over in exceptional circumstances but only with the formal agreement of the supplier.
Queries
• At any point during this maximum 20 week period, an external supplier may write to the Commissioning Editor asking for a progress report and be guaranteed a response within 10 working days of receipt.
Page last updated 7 August 2009
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