CURRENT affairs are to be given prime-time priority on BBC One under a new controller after the resignation of Lorraine Heggessey, the channel’s populist chief, who is to pursue a career in the private sector.
Early-evening slots will be guaranteed for investigative reports and Panorama in a move demanded by legislators and the BBC’s Board of Governors. Ms Heggessey’s replacement will be required to deliver a set number of hours of peak-time current affairs and arts programmes or face dismissal.
The BBC will set out the “new deal” for news and current affairs today as the search begins for a successor to Ms Heggessey, who jumped ship to become chief executive of TalkbackThames, producer of Pop Idol and The Bill.
BBC One overtook ITV in the ratings battle for the first time during her controversial four-year reign. But Ms Heggessey faced a governors’ investigation into BBC One amid complaints of declining programme quality and arts and current affairs becoming sidelined.
Michael Grade, the BBC Chairman, has instructed Mark Thompson, the Director-General, to “restore current affairs to its proper place and prominence”. A Monday early-evening Panorama was discussed, with a Friday night slot replacing Top of the Pops, which is moving to BBC Two in the spring, another possibility.
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But Ms Heggessey, 48, defended yesterday her decision to move Panorama to a 10.15pm Sunday night “ghetto” slot, where it attracts about three million viewers. “There are a lot of competitive pressures for viewers,” she said. “You can take a horse to water but can you make it drink?” Candidates to replace Ms Heggessey include Kevin Lygo, Channel 4’s no-less-populist programmes director, and Jane Tranter, the BBC’s Head of Drama Commissioning, responsible for the hit political thriller State of Play and the new Doctor Who.
The next BBC One chief faces a difficult balancing act. Ms Heggessey was given £100 million for programming by Greg Dyke and moved the evening news to 10pm, clearing the way for more drama.
However, Mr Thompson has called for 15 per cent savings across the board and politicians are demanding a renewed commitment to public service broadcasting as the BBC’s charter comes up for review.
Multichannel television is eating into BBC One’s audience share. When Ms Heggessey took over in September 2000, BBC One had a 28.7 per cent share but last month this had fallen to 23 per cent.
If BBC One fails to maintain a mass audience, viewers will ask why they must pay a mandatory licence fee. The BBC governors ordered a review of BBC One to “assess whether or not the channel has the best balance of output in peak time”.
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EastEnders, the soap around which BBC schedules are built, needs an overhaul after suffering its worst ratings in 19 years, cast scandals and an exodus of senior executives.
But while Mr Thompson promised a cull of reality programmes, Ms Heggessey continued to commission series such as Date My Mum, Date My Dad, in which children pick partners for single parents.
Defending her decisions, she said: “BBC One is in a much stronger position than when I took over. We invested the extra money and used a fourth episode of EastEnders as a building block in the schedules. But the programme range is also now much broader.”
Ms Heggessey, tipped as a future BBC Director-General, said that she wanted to broaden her commercial experience and would consider returning.
Ms Heggessey’s departure comes after that of Jane Root, the BBC Two Controller, who is now head of the US Discovery Channel. Alasdair Milne, a former BBC Director-General, blamed “terrible” programmes on the number of female bosses at the corporation.
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TalkbackThames, founded by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones in 1981, is part of the FremantleMedia group, one of the world’s biggest creators and distributors of programmes, including Neighbours and The Price is Right.
BBC ONE RIVALS
Jane Tranter
An 11-plus failure who joined BBC as secretary, she was hand-picked by Greg Dyke to revitalise BBC drama. Spent big on modernised Canterbury Tales and Spooks. But the mother of twins was criticised for “formulaic” Holby City and Casualty, while EastEnders ratings fell
Kevin Lygo
Colourful Channel 4 Programmes Director began career as BBC comedy scriptwriter. Developed hits Smack The Pony and TFI Friday before brief stint running Five. Has newly expanded role managing Channel 4 digital channels. C4 is desperate not to lose another boss to BBC
Nigel Pickard
Champion of Ant and Dec poached from Children’s BBC to run ITV two years ago. I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!, Pop Idol, World Cup rugby and popular drama stabilised audience but ITV has uncertain future
Daisy Goodwin
Lifestyle TV queen responsible for How Clean Is Your House. Goodwin oversees drama and comedy as editorial director of TalkbackThames but plans her own business
Michael Grade
BBC Chairman is quick to offer advice on corporation programming. Some executives suggest that the outsider for the post should simply reapply for his former job