How can they justify spending so much of the licence fee on only 11,000 viewers?

Neil, Wales

I found the progammes to be very good. But why are they only running from 1900? I have always enjoyed BBC Knowledge which unfortunately seems to have disappeared without trace. This progamme provided the only intelligent viewing available during the daytime. Why does BBC Four not run through the afternoon. It could repeat programmes run at other times. Some of these intelligent programmes are worth viewing a second or third time.
John Dowsett, England

I had hoped that the intelligence and flair of the new channel would be refreshing and down to earth. Instead with Surrealiso we get a pretentious shambles that is neither comedy nor drama. With such a talented cast - the programme failed because it was trying to be as enigmatic as the subjects which it so horribly portrayed. It belittled the creative minds of the Surrealist movement and was unenjoyable to watch.

I watched the whole opening evening and there was a pompous, pretentious, decadent nature to most of the programmes. Surely this isn't what the BBC intended?
Alexander Sokurov, Poland

I switched off seven minutes into the launch
Stephen Howe, United Kingdom

Surrealismo was ill-conceived, amateurishly directed, embarrassingly unwatchable, and irritating. I suggest BBC Four look further than the Sixth Form Common Rooms of the land for their talent. Who was responsible for this tedious rubbish? It was a very poor opening night for a channel I had big hopes for.
Andrei Tarkovsky, Russia

I've never been very interested in The Arts on TV, so I didn't know what to expect from BBC Four. I was impressed with what I saw though. The Man Who Destroyed Everything is the first programme about Modern Art that hasn't compelled me to change channel. The news was refreshingly different in an age where 24-hour news channels are 10 a penny and I won't complain if we get more from The Gist.
Michael Nolan, United Kingdom

We recently had a trial box to see how well we received digital ITV as a signal boost took place last weekend a few miles away in Heathfield. Tests revealed that although we pick up strong signals, we cannot access the digital signal and will probably never be able to enjoy digital. In the opinion of the "tester", a highly qualified government. engineer, digital will eventually fail. The BBC Four programme list was terrific and we are disappointed to realise that we will not be able to enjoy better programming.
Mary Murphy, Britain

If BBC Four really is "a place to think", then why distract us with a constant reminder of what channel we're watching? Please remove the on-screen logo, not only from BBC Four, but from all of your other digital channels.
Mark Wilson, UK

I think it is disgraceful that the BBC are putting more programmes out of reach of the licence holder, unless they get cable or satellite. I pay a full licence and can only get BBC One and BBC Two. If I want any other of the new BBC channels, I have to pay another organisation to receive them, on top of the licence fee!
Tim Forbes, Southampton UK

I loved it - when are those boxes coming that convert digital to analogue? As someone struggling to make a living in the arts world it's my only realistic hope to see BBC Four regularly and if last night is how it's going to be I'd love to be able to get it.
Prue Biddle, UK

I hope it gets better because it could not get any worse. I hope the BBC spends money a little more wisely for any more channels.
J Thornton, UK

How can you charge everyone a licence fee and not make ALL your output available to everyone?
Tony Tunstall, England

The Man Who Destroyed Everything was a very enjoyable introduction to BBC Four. Having seen the exhibition, this programme "filled in" all those gaps which I needed answering. If BBC Four continues with such quality programmes then we may, at last, bring culture to the masses. Well done!!
Steven Morgan, United Kingdom

I agree with Mark Wilson, get rid of the DOGs. I do not understand why I am compelled by the BBC to pay for a license with DOGs. With the other digital channels, Sky and Artsworld for example do not compel me to pay for their Dogs. I do not want DOGs so I do not subscribe to DOGGY channels.

Put your energies into providing audio narration for the visually impaired. In the past few weeks my visually impaired friends have rang to find out what is going on during programmes.
Stephen Burton, Northern Ireland

With regard to Tony Tunstall's point: you surely can't expect the BBC not to move forward with digital channels because not everyone has digital TV yet. Perhaps you would like the BBC to scrap BBC Online too!
William Hudson, UK

BBC chiefs claim to be happy with the opening night's digital viewing figures. How can they justify spending so much of the licence fee on only 11,000 viewers? It's ridiculous.
Neil, Wales, UK

The schedule for BBC4 looks excellent, but I was disappointed to see an onscreen logo present throughout programmes on Saturday - this is the main reason I stopped watching BBC Knowledge! I was glad to see that the logo was omitted for the film on Sunday night - I hope this reflects a policy not to "DOG" films and drama.
Richard Gartner, UK

If BBC Four continues with such quality programmes then we may, at last, bring culture to the masses

Stephen Morgan, UK

How can the BBC take licence payers' money, and not give us all these extra channels? For one, I may hold out of paying this year's, until they provide these extra channels to us all.
Richard, Eastbourne

Excellent debut, as a veteran Radio 4 listener, I feel you could have aired the Goya programme on R4 and it would have worked as radio. I can understand the resentment of the commercial stations, but if you continue to make interesting TV for grown-ups,you will get an audience. BBC 4 does not need to be all things to everyman/woman, you have the rest of TV for that. My only regret is will my cable company(NTL)be carrying BBC4? Cable in Ireland = Dawn Airey's famous description of Channel 5. We live in hope.
Antony Douglas, Ireland

It's somewhat pretentious but I'm impressed with some of the programming. However, for a so called 'intelligent' channel why does BBC Four insult my intelligence by constantly displaying a highly irritating logo onscreen? I'm quite capable of remembering what channel I'm tuned to without having to be reminded of it incessantly, doesn't the BBC realise how irritating that logo is?
James Powell, UK

The BBC are making some hefty decisions to try and force people on to digital. They can't shove Dale Winton and chums on to digital as all the educated people will refuse to swap if normal tv gets better and they can't make digital into a worthy channel as none of the millions of Big Break watchers will get off their bottoms to join. So instead they go for a halfway house of failed programming pivoted around Surrealissimo.
Abbas Kiarostami, Blackburn, England

I am pining for BBC Knowledge, especially given the complete lack of quality science programming available on other channels.
Simon, UK

With it's moodily-lit setting and dialogue like "... later we'll be chewing the breeze with ...", I genuinely thought "The Gist" was parody of allegedly pretentious arts programming (much like The Fast Show's "Jazz Club"). To that end, it kept me amused right up until I realised they weren't joking and promptly turned over.
SMB, UK

I saw Surrealisimo and the Gist on the opening night and found them to be not perfect, but delightful and entertaining at least. I am studying Peter Brook next year for Theatre Studies and am pleased to see that there are programmes tonight on his production of Hamlet. Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous.
Charlie Booth, UK

Excellent so far but why is there a news bulletin at peak time? There are so many other things that could be presented. On terrestrial TV there are bulletins at 5.30, 6.00, 6.30, 7.00, 7.30 and others at 10.00. On my free-to-air digital receiver I have four 24 hour news services. We need more quality arts/science programmes certainly not more news.
Peter Richmond, UK

Perhaps BBC Four would get more than 11,000 viewers if they made their shows available as online video streams, be it live simulcasts, on-demand or both. As an American, I'd be quite happy to pay a small "licence fee" of my own to have internet access to some quality video programming. (At least, I'm assuming it's quality, as I obviously cannot see the programs BBC Four is offering!) The video streams would have to be high-quality, though; none of those 56k postage-stamp-sized boxes like the BBC News web site uses for its news video.
Aaron Dickey, USA

As a dedicated listener to Radio 4, I've been highly disappointed by the pretentious "Islington" feel of BBC 4. The unassuming yet intelligent nature of BBC Knowledge was great. Why couldn't that be reproduced with original programming and another chance to see great science and arts shows from Beeb 1 and Beeb 2?
Matthew Revell, Wolverhampton, UK