Ofcom orders the BBC to cut repeats and foreign programmes as part of a major shake-up of TV rules

By Katherine Rushton For The Daily Mail 00:28 14 Oct 2017, updated 01:46 14 Oct 2017

Broadcaster was accused of being ‘too reliant’ on reruns of old films and sitcoms
Ofcom said nine out of ten shows on BBC1 and BBC2 prime time must be original
BBC will be forced to commission more series in mould of The Night Manager

The BBC has been all but banned from showing repeats or foreign programmes during the evenings as part of a major shake-up of TV rules.

The broadcaster was accused of being ‘too reliant’ on reruns of films, sitcoms and long-running daytime shows.

Ofcom, the television watchdog, said it must ensure that nine out of ten shows on BBC1 and BBC2 during peak hours are ‘original productions for UK audiences’. It defines peak hours as 6pm until 10.30pm.

TRENDING

Declan Rice is targeted with chants about girlfriend by Chelsea fans

15.3K viewing now

Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction is overturned

19.1K viewing now

Student killed after being mistaken for spy had every finger broken

6.6K viewing now

The BBC will be forced to commission more series in the mould of Doctor Foster, W1A and The Night Manager (pictured), and to row back on bought-in series like the Swedish Wallander, or reruns of classic films

Related Articles

'Take a gamble on comedy'

From Monty Python to Fawlty Towers, the BBC has been the driving force behind some of comedy’s greatest hits.

But now the Corporation is under orders to try and recreate that golden era by taking more risks.

Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, identified comedy as a ‘particular area of weakness’ for the BBC, after viewers complained that it was ‘too traditional’ and ‘risk-averse’.

From now on, the broadcaster will have to guarantee there are at least 300 hours of comedy on BBC1 and BBC2 every year, including in peak times.

The quota includes repeats and acquisitions, but Ofcom was clear that the BBC must also take a gamble on edgy new series.

Ofcom said: ‘Ofcom’s deliberative research…identified BBC comedy as too traditional and risk-averse. We expect the BBC to have particular regard to this finding in complying with this condition.

‘We consider that setting a condition for comedy on BBC television is important to ensure continued representation on the medium.’

The BBC’s current comedy slate includes W1A – the satirical show based on life at the Corporation – as well as a remake of Porridge which has divided viewers.

It has also had a cult hit with BBC3’s Fleabag. But television insiders fear that the Corporation has struggled to try out new comedy ideas since it scraped the BBC3 television channel and turned it into a website.

Viewers of all ages think the BBC has come to rely far too heavily on conventional sit coms and panel shows, like QI and Mock The Week, and that it had lost its innovative touch.

Ofcom said: ‘They felt that the BBC was no longer an innovator when it comes to comedy, and had been superseded by providers such as Channel 4 in the UK, and by comedies from other countries, particularly America.’

The BBC will be forced to commission more series in the mould of Doctor Foster, W1A and The Night Manager, and to row back on bought-in series like the Swedish Wallander, or reruns of classic films.

While it accepted that there is an appetite for long-running shows like Bargain Hunt, Ofcom sources said audiences did not need to see old episodes repeated multiple times.

The rules are also designed to force the BBC to do more to reflect the entire UK, after licence fee payers in many parts of the country said they ‘don’t feel properly represented’.

Ofcom director Kevin Bakhurst said: ‘We want to make sure the BBC does the best it can to make British-made programmes that properly represent Britain. Viewers are clear they want to see new programmes that reflect their lives and interests.’

The watchdog was also concerned that the BBC showed too many cartoons made overseas, or designed to feel international so that the Corporation can share the cost with other broadcasters around the world.

The BBC must ensure at least 400 hours of programming on CBBC and 100 hours on CBeebies are made in Britain for UK audiences. BBC4 quotas are more relaxed.

Ofcom will also bar the BBC from focusing too much of its attention on London. The Corporation is under orders to put more regional voices on air – especially from Wales and Northern Ireland.

And it will have to commission more shows from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, ensuring that it spends as much money in each nation as licence fee payers put in.

The BBC has resisted this sort of change in the past, saying box-ticking targets are too restrictive.

But yesterday it accepted the shake-up. A BBC spokesman said: ‘These are a tough and challenging set of requirements which rightly demand a distinctive BBC which serves and represents all audiences throughout the whole UK.

‘We will now get on with meeting these requirements.’

Ofcom BBC