BBC kids boss criticises content

Outgoing director of BBC Children’s Joe Godwin has criticised some of his department’s recent output and advocated quality over quantity, while forecasting a digital future for his successor.

Godwin, who is leaving after five years in the post early next year, told delegates at the Screen Producers Australia annual conference in Melbourne that some of his department’s output had been unimpressive.

“In the last five years we made some fairly mediocre magazine programmes,” he told the session moderator Deirdre Brennan, head of children’s TV at pubcaster ABC.

“I would rather have made fewer good hours than more crappy hours. We have 1,000 titles on CBBC; we could do fewer things.”

Godwin, who is leaving to head the BBC Academy, also predicted that soon the director of BBC Children’s will spend most time curating content on BBC iPlayer rather than programming the linear channels.

“In five years’ time my successor will be curating playlists on BBC iPlayer. Every kid will be able to afford a tablet. Families will still watch the big shows on terrestrial TV but children will be watching other things in different ways.”

Asked if he saw SVoD giant Netflix as a potential partner for BBC Children’s, Godwin agreed, observing: “We have an opportunity to sell and make content for their platform. I don’t see Netflix as a threat.”

Earlier this week C21 revealed that Claire Stocks was moving across from BBC Sport to take the new position of head of digital for BBC Children’s. Kay Benbow, currently controller of preschool channel CBeebies, is filling Godwin’s role as director on an interim basis.

Noting his department’s budget had been cut by 10% during the past three or four years, he said: “At CBBC, costs have gone up but our budgets have gone down.”

He told Australian producers there are lots of opportunities for BBC commissions, citing Matchbox Pictures’ live-action teen adventure Nowhere Boys, which CBBC bought.

“That’s the kind of different, distinctive show that gets kids talking,” he said.