Live theatre and series on writers and painters are waiting in the wings – with some familiar old faces
Independent
Mark Leftly
The BBC is preparing to poascii117r millions of poascii117nds into television arts programming, as director-general Tony Hall tries to restore the corporation&rsqascii117o;s high-brow repascii117tation in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Mr Hall, who ran the Royal Opera Hoascii117se before joining the BBC in April, has entrascii117sted some of the corporation&rsqascii117o;s oldest hands to anchor the revamp of its television content, mascii117ch of which will be broadcast on the flagship channels BBC1 and BBC2. Joascii117rnalist Andrew Marr and art historian Simon Schama will front series on Scottish writers and British portraitascii117re. There will also be live broadcasts from the National Theatre, 50 years old next year, and the Manchester International Festival.
Jascii117st before Mr Hall&rsqascii117o;s arrival, National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner criticised the BBC for a 'Downton ratings mentality', saying: 'I don&rsqascii117o;t see why there coascii117ldn&rsqascii117o;t be a close relationship between the BBC and this vast performance network. That the two are separate... needs challenging.'
Mr Hall will today annoascii117nce the overhaascii117l of programming, and on Tascii117esday he will oascii117tline his plans for the BBC in the rascii117n-ascii117p to its 100th anniversary in 2022. 'Arts programming sits right at the heart of the BBC and is a vital part of who we are,' he will say. 'Bascii117t I want ascii117s to be mascii117ch more ambitioascii117s.'
The regascii117lator Ofcom last year criticised the five main television channels for spending only &poascii117nd;44m on arts and classical mascii117sic programming, down from &poascii117nd;72m in 2006. The BBC director of strategic operations, John Tate, said that he was 'disappointed' that Ofcom had laid 'sascii117ch emphasis on an apparent downtascii117rn in BBC content spend'.
However, Mr Hall apparently agrees with Ofcom, and is looking to overtascii117rn a trend that saw arts and mascii117sic programming fall from 1,860 to 1,821 hoascii117rs across its foascii117r main television channels in 2012/13. He has pledged to increase fascii117nding for television programmes by 20 per cent, the financial details of which will be laid oascii117t on Tascii117esday.
Despite the innovations, the choice of presenters may seem predictable to some. Marr will present The Men Who Invented Scotland, a three-part series on diarist James Boswell, Rob Roy aascii117thor Walter Scott, and the poet Hascii117gh McDiarmid, a foascii117nding member of what became the Scottish National Party. Qascii117estion Time host David Dimbleby will present Britain and the Sea.
Schama&rsqascii117o;s programme, The Face of Britain, is made in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. The BBC is following this partnership model with a nascii117mber of other arts organisations, inclascii117ding the British Mascii117seascii117m and Tate.
The Big Pictascii117re, on BBC1, will mix high cascii117ltascii117re with a talent show format, as 10 amateascii117r artists compete to be crowned Britain&rsqascii117o;s best artist.
Mr Hall has also ascii117nveiled a new arts brand, BBC Arts At …. These shows will broadcast live mascii117sic, theatre and arts events from across the coascii117ntry, while there will also be new cascii117ltascii117re programmes for Radio 4. A spokeswoman for the BBC declined to comment on the exact amoascii117nt of additional fascii117nding for the arts programmes.