BBC1 slot ‘underpitched’ with factual

BBC1’s 21.00 weekday slot is “underpitched” by factual programme makers, according to the UK pubcaster, whose sister network BBC2 is looking for male-skewing programming for Sunday evenings.

Alison Kirkham, commissioning editor for factual, formats and features, described 21.00 on BBC1 as the “most underpitched slot” she commissions for.

The lack of BBC2 shows moving to BBC1 – as happened with The Apprentice and Have I Got News For You – has created an opportunity for new ideas, but the need to attract an audience of 4.5 million or more makes it a tough task.

Kirkham pointed to big event, audience participation series Great Britons and Test the Nation as examples of what she is looking for in the 21.00 slot.

“There has to be purpose and take-out from watching it,” she said. “Test the Nation and Great Britons had a great sense of ambition around them. That helps enormously at 21.00.

“What we want to try to replicate is that sense you get with Strictly Come Dancing, in factual. Test the Nation had that but was entertaining with good take-out. Please don’t pitch another Test the Nation, though.”

BBC1 is also hunting factual ideas for 20.00.

On BBC2, the main need is for male-skewing factual content for Sunday evenings that can play around hit motoring magazine series Top Gear. The World’s Most Dangerous Roads and Toughest Place to be a… worked well according to Kirkham, who has a budget of up to ￡200,000 (US$312,000) for something similar.

BBC2 is hunting other less costly ideas on a budget of between ￡80,000 and ￡100,000 per hour.

Cassian Harrison, commissioning executive producer for specialist factual, added that BBC1 needs science programming that feels relevant to the audience, like Britain’s Favourite Supermarket Foods with Cherry Healey.

Harrison is hunting history programming for BBC2 but warned producers against pitching anything too niche.

He said: “BBC2 is a big audience channel. We’re looking to pull big numbers, and we’re not looking to examine detailed corners of the history of the Wellington boot.

“We like Second World War history; it does very well for us. We don’t want too much but if you have a rocking story in that area we’re always interested. We’re interested in all the big turning points of history, as we saw with Meet The Romans with Mary Beard.”

BBC4 is seeking more complex science programming in the style of last year’s Grierson Award-winning Joy of Stats.

Kirkham and Harrison were speaking at Sheffield Doc/Fest, which ended yesterday.