Archives for December 2010

Today is my last day as editor of the About the BBC blog. It's been a real pleasure and I leave you in the very capable hands of Bridget Middleton.

The blog will be closed over the Christmas period from Friday 24 December until Tuesday 4 January and during this time you won't be able to post comments as we cannot moderate during this period.

We'll re-open in the new year.

Merry Christmas!

Laura.

There is no denying it, Christmas is a time of excess - lots of partying, and the constant temptation to overeat, drink too much and generally over indulge. January always feels like a time to rein it all in, to make New Year resolutions and to turn over a new leaf. So exactly the right time we think to launch our new Dangerous Pleasures Season on BBC Three: a season of intelligent, provocative, and really informative factual programmes which explore the dangerous consequences of young people's pursuit of pleasure today - from drug taking and binge drinking to unprotected sex.

As the Commissioning Editor for Documentaries at the BBC I'm really delighted to be contributing to the season because it gives us a real opportunity to engage our audiences in very timely and relevant issues that really matter to them, and to do so in a way that isn't preaching or patronising. We've all watched those anti drugs and drinking videos they show you at school which can of course be really helpful. But in the Dangerous Pleasures season we've been able to explore the dark side of drugs, sex and booze through the eyes and experiences of young people themselves. Take the series How Drugs Work where we follow a group of real young people who use drugs recreationally, and trace the effects of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy on the human body with the help of groundbreaking CGI effects. Clearly everyone understands the risks associated with speaking out about drug use, but we were amazed how many people wanted to be take part and get involved. Drugs are part of their lives and they wanted to find out more and have their say. Have a look at Emily Atack in Ready, Steady, Drink and James Alexandrou in Cannabis: What's the Harm? They have both had personal experiences of the consequences of extreme lifestyles and we are lucky enough to have them share their stories and offer invaluable insights. And in Laura Hall's film, we witness the highs and horrifying lows of six years of binge drinking that have lead to over 40 arrests and 29 convictions, as she attempts to get herself back on track.

Clearly it's important we don't glamorise any of these issues and we've all worked hard to strike the right tone and balance in every film. But with the highest drug consumption and addiction levels in Europe, I genuinely believe it's our job as a public service broadcaster to approach challenging issues head on and to make sure we don't shy away from subjects just because they feel risky or taboo. The other thing to note is that none of our contributors have benefitted either financially or in-kind through taking part in our programmes and we are incredibly lucky and grateful that they were brave enough to come forward to let us tell their stories. We know the BBC Three audience wants to know more about these subjects and I think it's our duty to inform them. In fact I think these films should be compulsive viewing beyond our core audience and for all parents too. The films are full of myth busting facts and information. Jaime Winstone lifts the lid on orophyrangeal cancer which is caused by oral sex. We learn what Cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy does to the brain. Why you get a high - and why it's surely followed by a low - and the long term effects this process has. Most young adults are just told not to touch drugs without being educated on why they should avoid it. At last we're given the real facts.

A few weeks ago, I was sat on a panel at the BBC Vision Forum discussing whether young people really watched documentaries anymore. I was sitting next to Stacey Dooley from the BBC Three hit Blood Sweat and T Shirts who explained how only 2 years ago her peers really thought only geeks were interested in docs. But now she tells me, documentaries are 'cool' again. And the figures on BBC Three are there to prove it. Incredibly there has been an average 80% increase in viewers reach for documentary viewing since 2008 on BBC Three. Our audiences are really curious about the world they live in. They are not afraid of challenging content and issues. And I hope we've hit the right mark for them with the Dangerous Pleasures season too

Charlotte Moore is the Commissioning Editor for Documentaries at the BBC

BBC Radio 4 has just made this announcement:

Pope Benedict XVI, will deliver his Thought For The Day on Radio 4, Friday 24th December at 7.45am.

Pope Benedict's Christmas message to the British people follows his UK visit in September. In an unprecedented move - the Pope has not presented material specifically written for a radio or television audience before - Pope Benedict recorded Thought For The Day in Rome on Wednesday 22nd December.

Take a look at the Radio 4 blog for the full story.

Bridget Middleton is the Editor of About the BBC

Almost three quarters of a century ago on 11 December 1936, another annus horribilis came to a crashing end with that most famous of royal broadcasts – the abdication speech of Edward VIII. What with Colin Firth’s purportedly Oscar-winning role as George VI (in The King’s Speech) due for release early next year, there is suddenly a lot of interest in the voice of kingship, and more interestingly the psychological gap between the royal and the human.



And Edward’s speech marks a key moment here. It was not only the most listened to broadcast of the decade, but also a royal broadcast message that completely broke the mould. Up to then, royal broadcasts had been slow measured salutations – beginning with the words that Rudyard Kipling wrote for George V in the first ever Christmas message ("I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all."…).



Edward’s initial draft of his famous speech was in fact written some days earlier on Thursday 3 December, a fact not known until the publication of the Duke of Windsor’s memoirs in 1951. He proposed to the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, and to Sir John Reith, Director-General of the BBC, that he should speak directly to the nation (and ‘the Dominions’), seeking to explain his motives and then leave the people to decide…



This direct appeal proved too much for the government of the day. Baldwin thought it unconstitutional and would in fact divide the nation, muttering about a ‘coup d’etat’. So it sat in amber for a further week, until it was re-framed once the momentous decision had been made. 

Many of the famous phrases from the final speech were already there, however. He had ‘found it impossible to carry the heavy burdens of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love’; the ‘other person most nearly concerned’ had ‘tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course’; he had made his decision ‘upon a single thought of what would in the end be best for all’.



Men and woman wept as they heard it, Churchill is reported to have had tears in his eyes after reading it (he also made a few final tweaks to it at the King’s request).



Audiences would have to wait many decades more - before they would hear such personal emotion expressed so directly in a broadcast by a member of the royal family.

Robert Seatter is Head of BBC History

The BBC Archive website remembers the abdication and the short reign of Edward VIII with a new archive collection.

On this website you can listen to the abdication speech and hear the moment history changed. Also released are some of the speeches Edward made when he was Prince, which give a fascinating hint of what he might have done if he had stayed on the throne. Among the television programmes you can watch is a 1970 interview with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. You can even read an extract from John Reith's diary in which he explains what it was like to be in the room with the King as he told the world that he was giving up the throne.

Last week some national newspapers wrote about the number of repeats on the BBC this Christmas. Not that they actually knew anything because we hadn’t published our schedules at the time and it was only this week that we confirmed what was going to be on. 

Far from being full of things you’ve seen before, there’s a veritable feast of brand new festive programmes on all our channels. There won’t be any repeats on BBC one in prime time between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, just like there weren’t last year, and the amount of repeats on BBC Two is also down on last year. In fact, the number across both channels in that period is the lowest it has been for at least four years.

If you’d like to know more about what’s on offer and watch the show reel, head over to the TV blog to read Jana Bennett’s blog about the schedule and all the great new programmes on the BBC over Christmas.

Bridget Middleton is the Editor of About the BBC

Tatiana Maslany and Andrew Buchan star as Mary and Joseph in Tony Jordan's adaptation of The Nativity for BBC One this Christmas.

With less than a month to go before Christmas Day (where has this year gone?), the first week of December has certainly blustered in with what can only be described as a uniquely Baltic flourish. 

This is my second Christmas as the BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioner for Religion TV, a job that I am extremely honoured to hold. As I write, across "Frozen Britain" (a BBC News term, not mine) the snow is falling across most of the country as fast as the temperatures outside, and the bookies odds on a white Christmas are changing daily. 

In addition to the inevitable news of the gridlocked roads, stranded trains and lorries, closed schools and general commuter mayhem have come some brilliant and heart-warming stories of both seasonal goodwill and the Great British spirit rising to the occasion - battling on against the elements to help others, and to keep the country moving. 

Of course as the temperatures drop outside, even the most hardy of us look forward to slumping on the sofa and watching television. As usual this year to both mark and celebrate the significance of Christmas, the BBC has some really fantastic programmes to offer across both TV and radio, from stunning original drama to worship and inspiring musical celebration. 

I am particularly pleased to tell you about a new commission from BBC Religion and Ethics for Christmas Day afternoon. BBC Two's Carols From Winchester is an hour long special which will feature some of the best-loved Christmas carols and classical Christmas music. 

And don't miss Tony Jordon's stunning new drama for BBC One, The Nativity, starring Tatiana Maslany and Andrew Buchan as Mary and Joseph. The drama, over four half-hour episodes, shows the Nativity from a fresh viewpoint and tells the traditional tale known to millions from a very human perspective. 

Whatever the weather throws at us in the next few weeks, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and that you manage to watch/listen to some of the BBC's Christmas programming and, more importantly, that you enjoy it. 

More details of BBC Religion and Ethics programming over Christmas.

Aaqil Ahmed is he BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioner for Religion TV

I’ve been in regular contact with our teams across England this week, hearing about their snow coverage; the issues they are facing getting around communities and the amazing responses we’ve had from members of the public letting us know their stories; hearing about how they are looking after their neighbours and sending us their photos and other critical information.

Local services are a lifeline to many communities in times of severe weather. Nowhere more so than in the North of England whose residents have had more than their fair share of critical weather during the past year.

Local radio is the natural place for people to find out how the big stories impact locally. Our teams work long hours to give the best, most up to date service possible. Many stations have departed from their normal schedules to go live and local throughout evenings and weekends.

Our radio cars, reporters and cameramen have been out from dawn to dusk to cover snow stories and give eyewitness accounts of the conditions. So we've been local whenever and wherever the audience needed us and we’re carrying on while the information is required.

Yesterday, according to our overnight figures, 8.1m people tuned into their 6.30 regional news programme. This is the highest reach for the evening regional news in England since the 'big freeze' in January this year. This was particularly high in the North and North East, where the snowfalls are biggest and whose figures were up by more than 10%.

Our online sites also attract a great many visitors during bad weather. On Monday for school closures alone - BBC Newcastle’s special web page had 85,000 unique users and more than 160,000 page impressions! 

I’ve been impressed by some of the work that has been done using crowd sourcing – for example the Cornwall map which takes our data and adds others to it.

School closures and transport available to schools which are open are always high on people’s lists of ‘things I need to know’ and we make a point of ensuring that this information is on our local websites whenever relevant. This is how we do it in Shropshire. 

BBC Newcastle tweets the list of school closures daily and keeps re-tweeting throughout the morning. Our Twitter feed, on Monday alone, had more than 600 clicks, potentially reaching new audiences and moving school closures into the social networking world.

We’ve got an incredibly important role to play in providing both information and companionship to our audiences – often we’re a lifeline in every sense of the word. As I've written this blog I've seen a note from our radio Editor in Lincolnshire describing today's conditions as unprecedented in the station's history, so it looks like we will be doing this for some time yet . I am proud of our teams and what they can achieve for our audiences.

David Holdsworth is the Controller of English Regions

Check the forecast for your area at BBC Weather

Get the latest Travel News for your area