Dan McGolpin highlights the successes of BBC's daytime shows and introduces some new programmes for the coming months. A version of this article originally appeared in Broadcast Magazine on Friday 17 June, 2016.
There’s been a lot said about the BBC’s daytime schedule of late – the Government’s White Paper was critical, then in last week’s Daily MailEsther Rantzen made an impassioned defence of some of the BBC’s most popular daytime shows. In a recent Broadcast article there was a suggestion that there is a ‘Daytime Battle’ going on, with BBC One said to be losing ground. I’d like to offer a BBC perspective on these discussions.
Around 50% of all viewing to BBC One and BBC Two occurs before 7pm each day so what we show in daytime and early-peak remains of real importance. Indeed with increasing trends for various forms of flexible-working and shift-working and with growing expectations around the years to be spent in retirement, you could say that daytime programming is becoming more important.
Let’s look at the data behind the recent Broadcast article, which made the suggestion that some of BBC One’s long-running daytime shows are ‘declining bankers’. Bargain Hunt came in as the 7th most watched daytime show of 2016 on all channels and Homes Under The Hammer came in at number 11. Ok, if you take any long-running series and analyse one period compared to another you can always find periods for which the numbers will go down - nothing goes up relentlessly and forever - but by any sensible measure, these are programmes that millions of viewers continue to enjoy.
The White Paper singled out both of the above shows, suggesting that their longevity in some way precludes them from being distinctive. I would argue that they are first-class examples in their genres, imitated often but bettered rarely. The secret of their success is that they inform, educate and entertain better than many other series do and that’s why they have survived for so long on the nation’s favourite channel. The Broadcast data (January to May 2016) showed that BBC One has transmitted 8 of the top 10 most watched daytime programmes so far this year and 39 of the top 50. For me, being distinctive doesn’t preclude attracting viewers but success is about more than a small shift up or down in the ratings for a series compared to its previous year.
BBC One has launched 24 brand new daytime series in the last 12 months and we have announced many more to follow those. Some of these are rich in journalism, such as Countryfile Diaries, which I have just extended to all four seasons following its pilot run this spring. Others are innovative new formats such as Money For Nothing, or intelligent quiz-shows like Think Tank and The Code.
To give one forthcoming example, in July we have a documentary series called Matron, Medicine and Me in which five well known personalities with compelling stories to tell will explore the National Health Service 70 years after the NHS Act of 1946 was signed. This is a series unlike anything I've seen elsewhere recently and which tackles a complex subject but with the kind of accessible tone that my team prides itself on.
We are the only daytime service to commission original British drama, such as Doctors which recently celebrated its 3,000th episode by winning the Best Single Episode category at the recent British Soap Awards, ahead of strong contenders from peak-time such as a live edition of Coronation Street and a helicopter crash episode in Emmerdale. In partnership with BBC Learning, we’ve just announced a brand new adaptation of Wilkie Collins’ novel, The Moonstone, which TS Elliot described as the first English–language detective novel. It will transmit in the afternoons for a week on BBC One this autumn and will be available on iPlayer for those unable to view at that time of day.
For us, it’s the mix that’s important – the range of genres and the balance between long-running series and new shows. We want to offer schedules that are consistent but which regularly surprise. Across the daytime output on BBC One and BBC Two we are making strides in reflecting the nation back at itself through the diverse casting of presenters, experts and contributors. No other daytime service offers viewers the same range, consistent quality and the same volume of original British programming each year. All of this is done within challenging programme budgets where value for money is paramount. The BBC's daytime schedules set a high standard that encourages the whole industry to focus on quality and distinctiveness outside of peak-time hours.
Dan McGolpin is Controller, BBC Daytime and Early-Peak.
- Read press releases from BBC Daytime on the Media Centre Website.
