BBC Four & CBBC to close

[tellyblues]

Regarding programmes getting axed, some come to a natural end and some after viewers realize how long they have been watching them. It's coming up to 20 years for the likes of Strictly, The Apprentice etc and a number of shows that people consider "new" and if they ham up these anniversaries (which they probably will), it may well be the death knell for them.

[Neil Jones]

Well Watchdog should be a standalone series, not a short segment on The One Show.

What you want and what you get are two entirely different things.

Anyway if we listen to you half the prime time schedule would go out the window and be replaced with fluffy journalism type fodder. The network has to appeal to a wide variety of viewers, and if you do not like certain portions of the output then simply do not watch it.

I am not keen on opera or classical music segments or even the Proms. But that doesn't mean I go round telling anybody who listen that these programmes are "high profile stuffy pieces of crap that should be binned".

[Brekkie]

Regarding programmes getting axed, some come to a natural end and some after viewers realize how long they have been watching them. It's coming up to 20 years for the likes of Strictly, The Apprentice etc and a number of shows that people consider "new" and if they ham up these anniversaries (which they probably will), it may well be the death knell for them.

Most long running shows show the signs they've been running that bit too long for a few years before they finally get the chop - Big Brother and The X Factor the obvious recent examples. Strictly is just not in that position at the moment - ratings are robust, the show still feels fresh and the only reason it comes up as a possibility for the axe is due to the licence fee discussion. Other than that there are no merits at all for it to be axed. At most they might cut an episode or two from the run to make a cost saving - going from 13 to 12 weeks (and this year 12 weeks is likely anyway due to the World Cup) would cut the costs in line with the overall percentage of cost savings needed without compromising it's future at all.

I don't watch The Apprentice and never have but it isn't a show that people seem to tire of, even if it's formula changes very little from series to series. I think the fact there have been a couple of occassions where there has been an 18-24 month gap between series has helped it's longevity.


The only long running shows which really regularly comes up in the axe conversation on the basis of ratings and quality of the programme are EastEnders and Doctor Who - and investments recently suggest both are going nowhere in the short term at least.

[tellyblues]

I don't watch Strictly (I'm a guy and not into dancing) and not calling for it to be axed but I think most people would be surprised if you told them that it'll be 20 years old in 2024.

[lobster]

I think Eastenders is an interesting one, even people I know you used to be regular viewers who used to follow it, have given up on it. I’ve never watched it, my wife used to, but when you do catch sight of something channel hopping or in a promo, it does seem like it goes around in circles with the same old cast in the same old storylines. I can’t imagine it gains many new viewers from younger generations.

[Brekkie]

It's probably at the stage where it needs the sort of desperate revamp long running shows get only to be axed a year later. The need to ditch the baggage of the past such (I e. Phil Mitchell and Kat Slater) and move forward with new characters and families at the forefront. The Carter's have probably been the best received characters of the last decade so they shouldn't be afraid to ditch the tired older characters and move forward.

[Neil Jones]

EastEnders has introduced brand new families before, and then were forced to dump them a short while later for one reason or another. The Ferreira family is the obvious example here and to a lesser extent the Millers, IIRC all bar one of them were dumped, and the last one only left because the actor decided to move on.

[johnnyboy]

Just like the humungous disaster that is the new logo and BBC Reith, the BBC just keep making misstep after misstep.

They scrapped (or moved online) BBC3, a decision we all nearly unanimously agreed was a cock-up of monumental proportions back at the blue place. BBC3 was the best ever bridge Auntie built between itself and the 18-34yo demographic - it has always struggled with this so BBC3 (not my taste personally) was a triumph of organisational survival planning.

And BBC4. I know I am not alone with this here in the purple place about my affection for this channel (or how it used to be anyway in its first decade). Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty to get your teeth stuck into on BBC4 but not as much as before, IMO.

BBC4 is perfect territory for a number of key groups within society more likely to vote. Gen Xers like me, Baby Boomers, higher earners, opinion formers, and, dare I say it, the London liberal elite. BBC4 is a great example of "soft power" - giving the BBC more influence in the corridors of power than perhaps it should do considering its viewing figures, similar in a way to BBC Parliament.

It was also natural publicity magnet for the number of reviews its programmes got in the press relative to the audience size for individual shows.

It really was a place to think and have your perceptions and knowledge challenged - a place you might find out you were wrong all along about something you thought you were right about.

What a pity.

[Roger Darthwell]

Just like the humungous disaster that is the new logo and BBC Reith, the BBC just keep making misstep after misstep.

They scrapped (or moved online) BBC3, a decision we all nearly unanimously agreed was a cock-up of monumental proportions back at the blue place. BBC3 was the best ever bridge Auntie built between itself and the 18-34yo demographic - it has always struggled with this so BBC3 (not my taste personally) was a triumph of organisational survival planning.

And BBC4. I know I am not alone with this here in the purple place about my affection for this channel (or how it used to be anyway in its first decade). Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty to get your teeth stuck into on BBC4 but not as much as before, IMO.

BBC4 is perfect territory for a number of key groups within society more likely to vote. Gen Xers like me, Baby Boomers, higher earners, opinion formers, and, dare I say it, the London liberal elite. BBC4 is a great example of "soft power" - giving the BBC more influence in the corridors of power than perhaps it should do considering its viewing figures, similar in a way to BBC Parliament.

It was also natural publicity magnet for the number of reviews its programmes got in the press relative to the audience size for individual shows.

It really was a place to think and have your perceptions and knowledge challenged - a place you might find out you were wrong all along about something you thought you were right about.

What a pity.

I completely agree with you, but as many others have said, the BBC is not going to save a lot of money by closing BBC Four, to be fair given that it's becoming an archive channel, it must cost very little to run

[Brekkie]

I wonder if a rebrand rather than a closure might be what eventuates - something more in keeping with it's archive status, perhaps with reduced hours (to return 2 hours to CBBC) and as a "new" channel they may be able to justify the inevitable switch with BBC3 in the EPG.

[This is UTV]

I wonder if a rebrand rather than a closure might be what eventuates - something more in keeping with it's archive status, perhaps with reduced hours (to return 2 hours to CBBC) and as a "new" channel they may be able to justify the inevitable switch with BBC3 in the EPG.

But does CBBC really need the extra 2 hours back? I gather 7pm-9pm were all repeats, and I bet viewers in these 2 hours would be rather low anyway, and since its recently gone back to a 7pm closure there's been no outraged CBBC viewers demanding their 2 hours back.

As for closing BBC Four, absolutely stupid idea and once again shows just how short sighted and out of touch the Beeb really is.
Once Cbeebies closes, they will have dead air from 7pm-5:30am. They tried to fill Cbbc's dead air after 9pm, and couldn't even give it away to a commercial broadcaster as no one wanted it, and a +1 service is completely dead in the water and never to happen.

[Josh]

But does CBBC really need the extra 2 hours back? I gather 7pm-9pm were all repeats

There were some new shows shown from 7 - 9 (normally towards 7pm/7:30pm) but it was predominantly repeats, yes.

[p2004]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bbc4-...-7pn7qwzjq

BBC4 is at risk as the corporation scrambles to plug a £1.5 billion funding gap after the licence fee was frozen for two years.

Several BBC sources have said that the highbrow channel, which shows arts programmes and foreign dramas and was once home to comedy shows including The Thick Of It and Detectorists, cannot survive another round of cuts.

BBC4 has been under threat for years but instead of closing the channel and risking an audience backlash, the BBC has repositioned it as an archive service. Nearly 90 per cent of its schedule comprises repeats. “In a world where you’ve got to make tough choices, it has started to stick out like a sore thumb,” one BBC insider said. Another said: “I’m not sure how it will survive.”

It would be a shame to see BBC Four go but it's been completely neutered with a lower budget, the fact that its original programmes have all gone to BBC Two, and BBC Three taking back overflow programming that Four used to air

Nothing's been confirmed at the moment so I wouldn't worry quite yet, although if it turns out to be the case it will anger a lot of viewers around the country, there are loads of other ways that the BBC can make savings, by axing programmes such as The One Show, The Apprentice and Strictly Come Dancing and bring back back the most important flagship programmes such as Watchdog and Crimewatch which were wrongly axed and shouldn't have been instead of channels which viewers are most passionate about.

Or here's another thought, Close the IPlayer, we already have BritBox so there literally is no point of the corporation to carry on running it's Iplayer service.

To be completely blunt, all of those are terrible ideas that you have suggested for saving money. Your view appears to favour certain flagship programmes over others, and is irreverent to the ratings that each one brings. It would be utterly foolish for the BBC to cut staples such as The Apprentice or Strictly Come Dancing, which pull consistent large audiences. Axing the iPlayer would also be an extremely poor decision, even without touching the fact that it puts BBC content up behind a paywall. The BBC iPlayer is still, by far, the most popular TV channel catch-up service, with ITV Hub/All4 trailing far behind. If there is anywhere to make cuts, once you consider remits and the like, BBC Four is easily the best choice for it - no original programming, a very small audience, typically only catering towards certain niches.

[BBCMeridian]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bbc4-...-7pn7qwzjq



It would be a shame to see BBC Four go but it's been completely neutered with a lower budget, the fact that its original programmes have all gone to BBC Two, and BBC Three taking back overflow programming that Four used to air

Nothing's been confirmed at the moment so I wouldn't worry quite yet, although if it turns out to be the case it will anger a lot of viewers around the country, there are loads of other ways that the BBC can make savings, by axing programmes such as The One Show, The Apprentice and Strictly Come Dancing and bring back back the most important flagship programmes such as Watchdog and Crimewatch which were wrongly axed and shouldn't have been instead of channels which viewers are most passionate about.

Or here's another thought, Close the IPlayer, we already have BritBox so there literally is no point of the corporation to carry on running it's Iplayer service.

To be completely blunt, all of those are terrible ideas that you have suggested for saving money. Your view appears to favour certain flagship programmes over others, and is irreverent to the ratings that each one brings. It would be utterly foolish for the BBC to cut staples such as The Apprentice or Strictly Come Dancing, which pull consistent large audiences. Axing the iPlayer would also be an extremely poor decision, even without touching the fact that it puts BBC content up behind a paywall. The BBC iPlayer is still, by far, the most popular TV channel catch-up service, with ITV Hub/All4 trailing far behind. If there is anywhere to make cuts, once you consider remits and the like, BBC Four is easily the best choice for it - no original programming, a very small audience, typically only catering towards certain niches.

Sorry but I respectfully disagree, I don't want to see BBC Four cut from linear tv or any channels whatsoever.

[JetixFann450]

Nothing's been confirmed at the moment so I wouldn't worry quite yet, although if it turns out to be the case it will anger a lot of viewers around the country, there are loads of other ways that the BBC can make savings, by axing programmes such as The One Show, The Apprentice and Strictly Come Dancing and bring back back the most important flagship programmes such as Watchdog and Crimewatch which were wrongly axed and shouldn't have been instead of channels which viewers are most passionate about.

Or here's another thought, Close the IPlayer, we already have BritBox so there literally is no point of the corporation to carry on running it's Iplayer service.

To be completely blunt, all of those are terrible ideas that you have suggested for saving money. Your view appears to favour certain flagship programmes over others, and is irreverent to the ratings that each one brings. It would be utterly foolish for the BBC to cut staples such as The Apprentice or Strictly Come Dancing, which pull consistent large audiences. Axing the iPlayer would also be an extremely poor decision, even without touching the fact that it puts BBC content up behind a paywall. The BBC iPlayer is still, by far, the most popular TV channel catch-up service, with ITV Hub/All4 trailing far behind. If there is anywhere to make cuts, once you consider remits and the like, BBC Four is easily the best choice for it - no original programming, a very small audience, typically only catering towards certain niches.

Sorry but I respectfully disagree, I don't want to see BBC Four cut from linear tv or any channels whatsoever.

Didn't you say you wanted CBeebies closed and merged into CBBC?