Clips from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's 2014 Christmas TV output.
Last year during a speech I made at the launch of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s Christmas TV programming for 2013, I made a plea to those who work for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to avoid criticising it in public.
I acknowledged the imperfections of the corporation but highlighted the way staff feel aggrieved when they see or hear the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ attacked or undermined by those who have themselves benefited greatly from their work with the broadcaster.
I hope there may have been a little less of this in the last 12 months, although we still have some way to go.
This year, I will talk about a subject of greater scale and importance. The very future of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is at a crossroads. Over the next couple of years, decisions will be made that will fundamentally define what the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ offers its audiences.
The question we have to ask is – what kind of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ do the people of the United Kingdom want for the future?
Do they want to see the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and its TV channels, radio networks and other services fundamentally changed?
Or, do they want the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to keep delivering, keep providing information, education and entertainment in the myriad of ways it does to so many people every single day?
It is my belief that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is one of the most important institutions in the UK. It is an intrinsic part of our democracy. It is used by 97% of the population every month.
Abroad, the reputation of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is singularly outstanding. There is not a country in the world that would not benefit from a public broadcaster of the quality and range of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. And if you asked the people or the government of these countries whether they would like to have a broadcaster of the quality and reputation of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ I feel confident of their answer.
It would be crazy to damage, undermine or deflate what we have.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ needs to keep reforming itself. It needs to go on proving how it provides value for money. In the last few days we have .
But our choice in the end is between protecting, cherishing and enabling a great British institution or seeking to diminish it.
This year has been a wonderful one on-air for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Television. Across Drama, Factual, Current Affairs, Entertainment and Comedy, there's a huge amount we’re proud of - and an extraordinary range offered to viewers of all ages and backgrounds.
The titles speak for themselves. So, I’ll list them.
1.
2. Our coverage of the World Cup, the Final of which was watched by four times as many as the competition.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. The Baby P Documentary
9. leading Saturday nights
10. Peter Capaldi's
11. back on tremendous form
12. tackling the subject of FGM with skill and a commitment to public service
13.
14. The Commonwealth Games
15. Jools Holland
16. (reaching a peak audience of 13 million).
17. Deep, wide-ranging coverage of the centenary of World War One across a range of genres on TV and online.
18. The Abstract Season
19.
20. Outstanding live coverage of the D-Day Anniversary
21.
22. Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three's Mental Health Season
23. Children in Need raising record-breaking sums
24. The 18th Century Season across Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32. Brian Cox's latest opus
It’s a long list, and it could be much, much longer. Everyone in the country will have their own favourites, their own programmes and services that mean the most to them.
The point is, that no other broadcaster in the world provides this range, this quality, this commitment to all audiences.
And we should do everything to avoid only realising that when the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is no longer able to deliver this range and quality to so many people.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is also at the heart of the UK creative industries, which as you know are thriving like never before at home and abroad.
A smaller Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is - quite simply and incontrovertibly - a smaller UK creative industries. That's not in anyone's interests and it's something we should do everything to avoid.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is the UK's creative risk capital. It triggers thousands of hours of quality content that creates jobs and exports - that in turn bring both revenues and reputation back to these shores.
We must avoid undermining this success story, this growth of the UK creative industries, this reputational dividend for UK PLC.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is a great British company, not a government department. We need it to flourish and continue to be the spark that lights a thousand creative fires.
That’s why I’ve asked the creative industry to stand by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ in the year ahead. I’ve asked them to support it, make the case for it, speak up for it, celebrate its achievements and help us make sure the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ can keep offering such an extraordinary range of programmes for all audiences.
Of course, it should always be held to account. But, if you ask yourself whether the UK and its audiences would be better off with a diminished Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ, unable to deliver the range of quality programmes in the coming years that I've just outlined, then I feel confident you will agree that a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ that can flourish in a world of globalised media companies is the right thing for the UK and the right thing for audiences.
Perhaps this is a time for a little less of the critical friend and a bit more of the friend.
Danny Cohen is Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Director of Television
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