The BBC announced plans today to improve its coverage of current affairs - but will leave the documentary programme Panorama in its Sunday night slot.
The flagship BBC One show was banished from primetime four years ago. Critics used it as an example of the Corporation “dumbing down” and had hoped to see it restored to a prominent place in the schedules.
However, under the new plans Panorama will remain in its 10.15pm Sunday slot.
In a bid to appease the critics, there will be eight midweek Panorama specials a year, broadcast on Wednesdays at 9pm.
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“Panorama is one of the most authoritative and respected parts of the BBC One schedule and will remain so,” said Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Television.
“Our decision, after long consideration, to leave it in its regular Sunday night slot is designed to secure its award-winning, hard-hitting journalism and to support the programme makers in pursuing the agenda they believe in.
“The major increase in midweek peaktime specials will also give the programme the opportunity to create additional impact and to promote the sense of an agenda-setting event in the midweek schedule.”
The BBC Board of Governors welcomed the increased investment and extra hours in current affairs programming. In September the Governors commissioned their own independent research into BBC current affairs, and the findings are published today.
The revamped current affairs schedule will see the hours of peaktime current affairs on BBC One increased by 28 per cent to 48.5 hours a year, which is a record for the channel.
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Midweek hours of current affairs and investigations will be doubled from eight to 16 hours a year. The BBC is investing an extra £3 million in current affairs.
Real Story, presented by Fiona Bruce, will now cover a single subject in each programme rather than three. It will be extended to 32 programmes a year and will focus on “accessible reporting which highlights revelation and engaging story-telling”.
Michael Grade, the BBC chairman, said last year at the launch of the BBC’s Charter Review submission that “the Governors will require serious current affairs to be restored to its proper place and prominence across the BBC, including BBC One”.
The review concluded that “while the audience recognises that it is important to have current affairs programmes, most viewers would rather watch other types of programmes”.
A mainstream audience can only be reached by having more high-profile output in BBC One peak time, it said.
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The Governors said they will monitor the performance of BBC One’s new current affairs strategy and make it a “priority genre”.
The report was published a day after Lorraine Heggessey resigned as the controller of BBC One. During her five years in charge she has been alternately praised for reviving the channel’s viewing figures with a series of hit shows, and criticised for allegedly taking the channel down market with more hospital soaps and the flop Fame Academy.
Ms Heggessey is moving to Talkback Thames, an independent production company that produces a huge range of popular shows.