Discussions of the brand, style and ethos of BBC2, written by CNS Media students
How does QI fit the brand/ethos and audience of BBC2? QI fits the brands/ethos of BBC2 as BBC2 make quality programmes that meet the PSB requirements as it also entertains, informs and educates its audience. So QI meets these requirements by being witty, intelligent and informative and entertaining also BBC2 shows very smart and stylish shows. Also BBC try’s to cater for a wide audience and QI does this as it caters for adults aged 3555. And BBC2 also tries to match to a wide taste of interests for example they like to show TV shows that include content on arts, science and history and QI includes questions which educates on these things so they cater for a different tastes and interests. Also BBC2 is an upmarket channel as it shows lots of different programs such as QI and nature programs which are both quality programs as they inform and educate but they are both different styles of programs. Also QI is a quality program as the person who presents who is Stephen fry is an educated and a well-known celebrity this links with the brand and ethos as Stephen fry links with BBC2 brands and ethos because he is well mannered and educated himself. How does QI fit BBC2’s brand/ethos and audience?: QI fulfils the idea that factual programming is central to BBC2’s purpose, by being an informative and factual programme. This enables BBC2 to justify their T.V. license fees and fulfil their PSB remit of having to make quality programmes, rather than those with the highest audiences, and factual/informative programmes typically have lower ratings. However, a broader audience is drawn into QI as it is made more accessible through the humour and entertainment aspect of the programme QI also is tailored to the audience expectations of BBC2 programmes as the audience expect to find the finest arts, history, science and human interest documentaries, which are all incorporated into QI through different methods, such as the topics of the questions and the panellists they select. The idea of BBC2’s brand being “witty, warm, adventurous, intelligent, playful, informative and authoritative” is explored in QI by creating a friendly and humorous atmosphere between the panellists, and the camera angles reiterate this as the shotreverse shot of the panellists faces as others are talking makes them all seem friends. They also talk in an informal manner to each other, while discussing informative topics, and so this not only retains the existing audience but seeks to draw in a younger audience also. The idea of curiosity and wit of BBC2’s brand is integral to QI as curiosity is explored in the obscure and unusual nature of the questions, which makes the audience more interested, therefore fulfilling the PSB remit of making programmes to educate/inform as the audience are genuinely curious about learning the answers. The idea of wit is also hugely important to BBC2’s brand as it makes QI much more accessible to the viewing audience but this is also combined in fulfilling their PSB remit of catering for a range of tastes and interests, as a number of these, such as information, humour, wit and learning are combined in one programme.
Explain how QI fits BBC2’s brand/ ethos QI is informative with a sophisticated audience with knowledge of the finest arts, history, science and human interest documentaries. Many TV shows on BBC2 are like QI but without the comedy QI has, as a panel show QI needs comedy but it is sensible comedy unlike The Inbetweeners that have immature comedy that is especially for E4 because it is aimed at a teenage audience that enjoy that kind of entertainment. I think QI does fit BBC2 but it is a little different from other TV shows on BBC2 because other shows on BBC2 are documentaries, history and art that inform but QI is to inform and to entertain. I think that QI is more popular because of Stephan Fry being the host of the programme, he is well known and liked, QI have people on their show that are well liked and well known as well. How does QI fit the ethos/brand and audience of BBC2? The ethos/ brand of BBC2 are both witty and intelligent; it does this through the chosen guests and the topics of which the questions follow. The BBC has a PSB that ‘promises’ to create: well-made, informative, and accessible and humours programmes, as well as introducing new talent. The guests and topics on QI broaden the audience’s awareness and therefore make them curious as to the answers of the questions and the future of the guests. This curiosity also encourages the audience to watch other programmes on the BBC, as these are usually informative, documentaries. As the questions (and guests) are often witty and quirky; they’re entertaining and perhaps challenge the usual ‘panel show’ type style that’s seen on other channels. BBC2, although mainstream, is a niche channel within the BBC and thusly doesn’t have to abide to ‘general knowledge’ questions; they can explore further into the ‘quirky’ side and offer an alternative. Additionally, the audience ranges within middle ages therefore ‘current affairs’ questions are relatable whilst increasing engagement /interest. How does QI fit BBC2’s brand/ethos and audience?: QI fits the brand because it has a lot of adult humour which is unsuitable for younger people, so it fits the target audience of 35-54 year olds. It also offers factual things about science and history and other general facts which links to how the target audience would like to see that type of stuff. The program is also informative to keep the viewers watching. BBC2 also can fit the brand of being entertaining because there is a PSB on BBC channels which allows there to be no adverts which draws a larger audience. QI has to make quality episodes to be broadcasted on BBC2 which justifies their licences fees and fulfil their PSB remit of having to make quality programmes. BBC2 broadcast a lot of informative programs which links to QI because the show also has a lot of informative facts in the questions they ask to the contestants. This shows that QI asks intelligent questions so the viewers are entertained as the rest of the shows on BBC2 also contain intelligent topics.
How does QI fit the Brand/ethos and audience of BBC2? QI fits the brand/ethos and audience of BBC2 in a number of ways, firstly BBC2 has a brand/ethos that is intelligent, curious and informative and these qualities are also apparent on QI, which prefers its humour and style of content to be intelligent and informative, basing the show around a general knowledge panel show format that challenges the intellect of the viewers and the guests. It represents the curious element of BBC2’s brand by teaching the audience new facts or fixing popular misconceptions that the audience would otherwise not know about. Another way QI fits the brand/ethos of BBC2 is through the BBC2’s upmarket brand. Most if not all guests are middle/upper class and the host, Stephen fry is very upper class. This matches the upmarket spirit of BBC2 with characters that are more upmarket, although there is likely to be a more working class element to each episode to match the BBC2’s wide appeal. QI also fits the audience of BBC2 in a couple of ways the characters/guests are usually within the same age range as BBC2’s more mature audience and this helps the audience to relate and enjoy QI more, also matching with the BBC2 brand. Finally, when viewers watch BBC2 they expect to see an informative, intelligent and interesting programme and QI fits these criteria with its type of humour and informative content, the audience learn from the programme and also enjoy it.