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BBC Four unlikely to survive further BBC cutbacks

Posted on 28th January 2022 by Andrew Nairn
Last updated on 28th January 2022 Filed under Opinion

The writing is almost certainly on the wall for BBC Four. Within the broadcasting industry, few believe it can survive the licence fee freeze.

It may be a sad end to a channel launched 20 years ago as “a place to think”, responsible for some superb output.

But with few new commissions, BBC Four is now basically an archive channel. Indeed some of it is mainstream archive – comedy classics and The Shirley Bassey Show were unlikely to be seen on the channel during its early years.

BBC Four came out of the repositioning of BBC Television, to adapt to the digital multichannel world.

BBC One got extra money for drama and entertainment but some serious programmes were demoted to later slots or moved to BBC Two (this move was soon reversed).

BBC Two however lost many of its edgier programmes to BBC Three while cultural programmes and much of the most challenging output went to BBC Four.

The archive content now found on Four can easily live on the iPlayer.

But would it be any bad thing to see more coverage of, say, The Proms and serious music back on BBC Two? This used to be an important part of the channel.

There has always been the risk of BBC Four being a ghetto.

Its closure would be sad and a particular disappointment to those who are still dependent purely on linear TV. But as long as cultural content on BBC Two is bolstered, it may not necessarily be a bad thing.

TV coverage of The Proms, Cardiff Singer of the World and the Young Musician of the Year back in a high profile place on a major channel? A few more editions of Storyville or international dramas in a place where people will see them by accident?

At its best, BBC Two still offers some of the most intelligent and challenging material on television. Gardening and cookery have always been an important part of the mix too.

But its more focussed identity in recent years took away an important part of its character and in the process left a major part of the BBC’s cultural output in a place where it was only there for those who actively looked for it.

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PICTURED: BBC Four ident. COPYRIGHT: BBC.

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Dates for the Diary

30th January: BBC Reporting Scotland moves to a temporary set. The programme will move back to a refurbished Studio C in the summer.

30th/31st January: BBC One East HD and BBC One East Midlands HD launch on satellite.

6th/7th February: BBC One West Midlands HD, BBC One East Yorkshire/Lincolnshire HD and BBC Alba HD launch on satellite. BBC One/Two Wales SD services close on satellite.

13th/14th February: BBC One West HD, BBC One South West HD, BBC One Channel Islands HD, BBC One London HD and BBC RB1 HD launch on satellite.

20th/21st February: BBC One North East and Cumbria HD, BBC One North West HD, BBC One Yorkshire HD and BBC Parliament HD launch on satellite. BBC One Scotland SD and BBC Scotland SD services close on satellite.

22nd/23rd February: BBC One South East HD launches on satellite.

February 2023: new set for BBC Midlands Today goes live.

13th February 2023: Sky Kids launches.

Q1 2023: BBC Chameleon branding introduced on air for BBC Weather, CBBC and CBeebies.

April 2023: BBC News Channel and BBC World News merge.

November/December 2023: World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23).

Q1 2024: SD versions of BBC channels close on satellite.

2024: BBC Four and CBBC go online-only.

2024: BBC Radio 4 Extra goes online-only.

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