BBC publishes blueprint for the biggest transformation in decades
The BBC has revealed ambitious plans for its biggest transformation in decades, which will move power and decision-making across the UK.
Over the next six years, the broadcaster will shift its creative and journalistic centre away from London. Proposals set out in the BBCâs blueprint for the future entitled The BBC Across the UK, represent top-to-bottom change and will cement our commitment to better reflect, represent, and serve all parts of the country.
By 2027/28 the BBC will be spending at the very least, an extra ÂŁ700m cumulatively across the UK - generating an additional economic benefit of over ÂŁ850 million. This will not only dramatically increase opportunities for jobs and training, but improve representation on and off screen.
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, says: âOur mission must be to deliver for the whole of the UK and ensure every household gets value from the BBC. These plans will get us closer to audiences, create jobs and investment, and develop and nurture new talent.
âOver the last year, the BBC - which has been an essential part of the UKâs culture, democracy and creativity for almost a century - has helped inform, educate and entertain all four Nations, as we have collectively faced some of our toughest moments in recent history.
âNow, as we look to the future, we must play our part in supporting social and economic recovery; rebuilding the creative sector and telling the stories that need to be heard from all corners of the UK.â
Plans set out in detail in the Across the UK blueprint, include:
- A transformation in the way we commission TV programmes - For the first time, a clear majority of our UK-wide TV will be made across the UK, not in London: at least 60% of network TV commissions by spend.
- A transformation in the commissioning and production of network radio and online audio - 50% of network radio and music spend will be outside London by 2027/28.
- Major parts of BBC News to shift across the UK - We will move significant parts of BBC News to centres across the UK, ensuring we cover the stories that matter most to audiences and more effectively representing different voices and perspectives. Half of our UK-focused story teams will be based around the country
- A truly UK-wide BBC - We will make Salford the main base for our digital and technology teams - a global centre of excellence - supported by digital teams in Glasgow, Cardiff and London; we will expand BBC Studios bases in Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow; upgrade our Belfast HQ; in radio, Newsbeat and Asian Network will be based in Birmingham; while Radio 3 and 6 Music will be rooted in Salford.
- A big investment in BBC local reporting - A network of digital community journalists will enhance our regional news provision; weâll introduce a tailored BBC One across Yorkshire, North West and North East England; weâll see up to six new peak-time BBC local radio services -including in Bradford, Sunderland and Wolverhampton; and new BBC local on-demand bulletins for over 50 areas on BBC Sounds.
- Strengthening the creative economy right across the UK - We will renew creative partnerships with Northern Ireland Screen and Creative Scotland, create a new one with Creative Wales, and focus on partnerships in the North and Midlands in England.
- A doubling of our commitment to apprentices - Weâll support 1,000 apprentices in any year across the UK and pilot an Apprentice Training Agency in the West Midlands.
In addition, news and current affairs programmes like BBC Twoâs Newsnight will be presented from different UK bases through the year and Radio 4âs Today programme will be co-presented from outside London for at least 100 episodes a year. The hit BBC One daytime show Morning Live will be broadcast year-round from Salford.
Funds will be invested in two new long-running network drama series over the next three years - one from the North of England and one from one of the Nations; over the same period, more than 100 new and returning drama and comedy titles will reflect the lives and communities of audiences outside London, including at least 20 that will portray Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
In radio, key daytime programmes on each of Radio 1, 1Xtra and Radio 2 will be made across the UK and each network radio controller will have at least one commissioner based in one of our hubs around the UK by 2027.
The plan is published as new research from KPMG shows the BBC has âwide ranging economic impacts on the UK economyâ and makes âa significant economic contribution across each of the UKâs nations and regions:â
- Around half of the BBCâs total economic contribution was generated outside of London - an increase from 32% in 2012. And the BBCâs direct economic contribution outside of London was much higher than the industry average of 20%
- The report also finds the BBC is supporting a total of over 53,000 jobs - with over half outside of London - and for every 1 job directly created by the BBC, a further 1.7 jobs were created in the wider economy
- The report also highlights how the BBC, through its presence and investment, played a role in cultivating Salford as a creative and digital cluster. Employment in the sector has seen growth of 142% between 2010 and 2019, and the number of digital or creative businesses has grown by 70%
- The report also identifies an emerging creative cluster in Cardiff, where the BBC has opened Central Square and Roath Lock, demonstrating the transformative effect the BBC can have on the creative economy outside of London
- More broadly, every ÂŁ1 of the BBCâs economic activity generates a total of ÂŁ2.63 in the economy. In 2019/20 the BBC generated an estimated ÂŁ4.9bn in the UK economy - ÂŁ1.5bn more than if it was performing in line with the industry average
This KPMG report will be published in full shortly.
BBC has announced that Fridayâs MasterChef final that was pulled from schedules following the death of Prince Philip will run tomorrow night.
Line of Duty finale lands record ratings
The final episode of Line of Duty was the BBC showâs most-watched one to date, with an average of 12.8 million viewers tuning in on Sunday night.
That made it one of the highest rated dramas in recent years, surpassing Doctor Whoâs 2008 Christmas Day special, seen by 11.7 million.
Reviews, however, were âdecidedly mixedâ including
Metroâs Harry Fletcher said Line of Dutyâs âfrustratingâ series six ended in a âwhimperâ.
In the New Statesman, Rachel Cookeâs review ended with a similar thought.
âIt was, for a while, the greatest cop show ever made - and then, suddenly, it wasnât any more,â she wrote. âWhimpers all round. Especially from me.â
The BBC has today published the Rt Hon Lord Dysonâs independent investigation into the circumstances around the 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales
Full report avaiable to download: https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/reports
Press Notice:
âAlthough the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this. Lord Dyson has identified clear failings.
âWhile todayâs BBC has significantly better processes and procedures, those that existed at the time should have prevented the interview being secured in this way. The BBC should have made greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and been more transparent about what it knew.
âWhile the BBC cannot turn back the clock after a quarter of a century, we can make a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today.â
âIn fact, despite his other findings, Lord Dyson himself in any event accepts that the princess would probably have agreed to be interviewed without what he describes as my âinterventionâ.
Holby City to end next year after 23 years on screen
"We are incredibly proud of Holby City but itâs with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year.
"We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBCâs commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBCâs drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team at BBC Studios and all the cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 1999.
"Holby has been a stalwart with audiences, delighting millions of viewers each week and winning hundreds of awards with a compelling mix of cutting edge medical stories and explosive personal stories.
âWe look forward to working with the team over the coming months to ensure that when it ends, Holby goes out on a high.â
Announcements between shows will be made in local accents for BBC1 in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Programmes such as BBC2âs Newsnight and Radio 4âs Today will go on the road to different cities.
Looks like another great drama from BBC, great pedigree and promo.
BBC is set to refresh its âblocksâ logo. Earth shattering change by the looks of it 
It reminded me of the episode of W1A where they were redesigning the BBC logo and decided to âlose the lettersâ
Elements of the âReithedâ version of the BBC logo have appeared on the latest BBC News App beta (credit goes to brioalex from TV Live Forum for the GIF):
It has another âcollapsedâ varient with three virtual bars (credit to TV Live Forumâs thomalex):
Reminiscent of the 1988-1997 logo:
Looks good. Unfortunately for the beeb they lack a simple symbol that works well for the digital age a la the ABC. This goes some way in fixing that.
While the exact terms have yet to be finalised, and there is no date set for the money to paid, it is understood it will come from BBC Studios, the Corporationâs trading arm â a commercial operation not funded by the licence fee.
WILL HAMILTON APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS AS BBC STUDIOS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND GROWS LOCAL PRODUCTION BUSINESS
BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand is expanding its team with the appointment of Will Hamilton to the new position of Director of Commercial and Business Operations. Following the production this year of Mastermind , Weakest Link and Dancing With the Stars: All Stars with The Great Australian Bake-Off due to begin shortly and new formats arriving in the pipeline, the position is a key role as the company moves to further growth. Will is responsible for leading a first-class production set-up as well as devising and delivering the business and commercial plan for BBC Studios ANZ as the company expands. Will reports into Kylie Washington, General Manager and Creative Director for BBC Studios Production ANZ, and will work closely with Daniel Doctor the new Senior Legal Counsel for APAC who joined in June with a focus on the production business.
Will joins from Eureka Productions where he was Director of Production and Operations working with Australian FTA networks and major international streaming platforms, with a slate that included successful international formats including The Amazing Race Australia , Luxe Listings , Frogger , Holey Moley and Making It . Prior to Eureka he was Business Director at Seven Studios working across finance, facilities, production planning and operations for scripted and unscripted production in the International Studios group, and Director of Production and TV Operations at Fremantle Australia where he oversaw the management of a production slate that included BBC Studios formats such as Dancing With the Stars and The Great Australian Bake-Off under a previous agreement between BBC Studios and Fremantle as well as titles such as Grand Designs and Farmer Wants a Wife .
Kylie Washington said: âIâm delighted to welcome Will to the team. 2021 has been a big year for us with four local commissions secured during the first half of the year. With filming due to commence on the latest series of The Great Australian Bake-Off in the coming months, which will be produced by BBC Studios for the first time, and with a number of other productions in development, the time was right to add to our team. Will has a fantastic track record and a wealth of experience with some of the worldâs biggest brands managing slates for Eureka Productions, Seven Studios and Fremantle Australia. Iâm excited to work with him to grow our business further as we enter the next phase of our expansion.â
Will Hamilton said: âIâm thrilled to be joining Kylie and the team at BBC Studios. The BBC is a global iconic brand with an extensive and diverse pipeline, so ideally poised at such an exciting time in our industry. With a range of scripted and unscripted projects planned, Iâm looking forward to growing this exciting business with Kylie.
Matt Forde, Managing Director, International Production and Formats BBC Studios, said: âWill is a valuable addition to our Australian production team as BBC Studios continues to build its production business around the world. With a wealth of proven formats across all genres, our global international production and formats business is booming and Iâm pleased to have someone of Willâs calibre on board.â
The Great Australian Bake-Off for Foxtel marks the fourth local commission for BBC Studios ANZ this year. The series is based on an original format created by Love Productions and distributed by BBC Studios. Other productions delivered this year are a third series of Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind for SBS, a rebooted Weakest Link hosted by Magda Subanski for Nine and Dancing With The Stars: All Stars co-produced with Warner Bros International TV Production for Seven Network.
The Great Bake-Off format has proved its popularity and longevity around the globe and is currently licensed in 35 territories from New Zealand to Brazil. It is the highest rating show on Channel 4 since 1984.
As spotted by TV Live Forum, the spiritual successor to the UKâs TVForum, a test page has appeared recently which features the âreithedâ BBC blocks:
A new drop-down menu is also active:
The blocks themselves will interact with the new identity, based on this screenshot from a survey:
It appears the size of the letters have been modified to be slightly larger, compared to the BBC Select logo seen earlier this year which was the first instance of the new blocks in the wild:
The organisation-wide relaunch is expected to debut sometime in October, as did the soon-to-be outgoing logo in 1997.
@mods, might need to dust off the 
soon 