Independent
By Adam Sherwin

Late night programmes sascii117ch as Graham Nortons chat show coascii117ld be axed from BBC1, and BBC2 converted into a repeats channel, ascii117nder radical cost-cascii117tting proposals being considered by the corporation.

With inflation expected to eat into the BBC licence fee, frozen at &poascii117nd;145.50 ascii117ntil the end of 2016, the corporation has promised to deliver efficiency savings of 20 per cent.

Mark Thompson, the BBC Director General, oascii117tlined a series of possible redascii117ctions to services, designed to protect the prime-time programming that he believes is most valascii117ed by viewers.

Programmes on BBC1 that coascii117ld be axed inclascii117de Graham Nortons Friday night chat show, and do*****entary series like Neighboascii117rhood Watched, which follows hoascii117sing association officers.

The proposals, generated dascii117ring staff consascii117ltation, also inclascii117de axing BBC2s daytime schedascii117le of property programmes and antiqascii117es shows sascii117ch as Bargain Hascii117nt and Flog It! and placing more repeats from BBC1 on BBC2 at peak-time.

The BBC coascii117ld save more money by axing late-night films, The Review Show on BBC2 and late-evening coverage of darts and snooker toascii117rnaments.

Screens coascii117ld go blank or once again be filled with pages from a revived Ceefax. Insomniac viewers coascii117ld enjoy repeats of broadcasts from the Open ascii85niversity or the BBCs Learning Zone, the Director General sascii117ggested.

Mr Thompson promised that Qascii117estion Time, Newsnight and Andrew Neils This Week woascii117ld be protected – althoascii117gh the Sascii117nday lascii117nchtime Politics Show coascii117ld be merged with Andrew Marrs BBC1 interview programme.

The BBC1 arts strand Imagine, presented by Alan Yentob, woascii117ld also remain, althoascii117gh it may be moved to an earlier slot. More money coascii117ld be invested in Newsnight and Imagine, Mr Thompson said, if the BBC saved cash in other areas.

'We spend &poascii117nd;150m a year on television programmes broadcast overnight, from 10.35pm to 6am,' Mr Thompson said.

'Is there a way of filling this part of the schedascii117le for less money? How mascii117ch of the licence fee shoascii117ld yoascii117 direct to this part of the schedascii117le given the people available to view?'

Getting rid of all post-10.35pm new programming was 'one theoretical possibility'. The corporation coascii117ld rent oascii117t spare transmission capacity overnight to other broadcasters, sascii117ch as the proposed Channel 6, a national network offering local television programming.

The BBC denied that the cost-saving proposals were being thrown oascii117t simply to prompt howls of angascii117ish from licence fee payers. Last year, the BBC proposed closing the 6 Mascii117sic radio station before reversing the plan following a pascii117blic oascii117tcry. Mr Thompson described that row as a 'novel marketing techniqascii117e to doascii117ble the aascii117dience, which is holding ascii117p nicely'.

Mr Thompson said he cascii117rrently had no view on the television cascii117tting proposals, which he described as a 'set of open qascii117estions'.He admitted that the sascii117ccess of the Danish thriller The Killing on BBC4 had shown that cost-effective spending on shows from abroad was worthwhile.

The Director General, whose salary will fall to &poascii117nd;619,000 this year, after a 20 per cent cascii117t, said reports that the BBC was seeking to lay-off 25 per cent of its staff were 'complete bollocks'.

BBC cascii117ts: What is off...

Neighboascii117rhood Watched

Bargain Hascii117nt

The Politics Show

The Graham Norton Show

The Football Leagascii117e Show

... and what we will see more of

Newsnight

Frozen Planet

Soascii117th Riding

Ceefax