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28 March 2014
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Focal Awards entries The content chiefs break new ground reveal their plans
A road trip of genetic discovery
BBC arts push under fire Execs fear BBC3 cuts and increased arts coverage will leave the corporation feeling ‘irrelevant’ BY JAKE KANTER
Prominent executives have argued that the combination of the BBC’s plans to create more arts content “than ever before” and the cuts to BBC3 will make the corporation “increasingly irrelevant”. Broadcast has spoken to a range of producers and BBC insiders who have reacted angrily to the timing and content of director general Tony Hall’s arts vision, which he set out in a speech at New Broadcasting House on 25 March. Addressing a room packed with grandees from the arts world, TV executives and on-screen talent, Hall said he wanted to make BBC Arts as prominent a global brand as BBC News. His plans will be underpinned by an 18% increase in funding for television arts content to £18.25m in 2014/15. But the plan has met with concern that it may further alienate younger viewers at a time when the corporation is taking BBC3 off air. Amid a slew of TV, radio and online arts commissions, BBC3 had a single project – a three-part documentary following classically trained young musicians. One senior BBC figure questioned the strategy, claiming it could lead to young audiences being left behind, and criticising the announcement’s timing. The insider argued that it reinforced the view of Roughcut TV founder Ash Atalla, who compared the BBC3 decision to an old man turning off the music in a nightclub so he can “hear more Mozart next door”. Atalla told Broadcast this week: “You can’t argue against the arts
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[BBC has] embarked on a mission to make itself irrelevant in 10 years’ time Jimmy Mulville, Hat Trick Productions
per se, that would be absurd. But you can when their promotion comes after a direct cut to youth, to comedy, to diversity. This is a daylight land-grab by a metropolitan elite. I was right – the Mozart has been turned up to number 11.” He echoed the views of Jimmy Mulville, founder of Hat Trick Productions, who told Broadcast the BBC has “embarked on a mission
focused on making itself irrelevant in 10 years’ time”. Mulville added: “The message to young people is: we don’t want to serve you culturally, we want to serve the high arts.” Comments on the story on broadcastnow.co.uk included one prominent entertainment producer who wrote: “This new BBC seems to have one key aim: to over-serve an audience of old white men. I sincerely fear for the BBC’s future.” A factual entertainment showrunner added: “This seems a ridiculously out-of-touch move. There must be a middle ground between Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff and Richard III.” Others were more philosophical. Red Planet Pictures managing
director Tony Jordan said the BBC was “trying its best in difficult circumstances”. He added: “There is an assumption that the arts are only for old wrinklies, and if a show doesn’t have any nob jokes then it isn’t for youngsters.” Hall was asked about the arts push at the launch event in the context of the cuts to BBC3. He said the broadcaster was giving audiences from all backgrounds “access to something that this country is exceptionally good at”. He added that more mainstream programming, such as The One Show, will put arts content on a bigger stage. ➤ See page 7 for more on the BBC’s arts content plans