BBC to slash 100 HOURS of TV shows this year as major drama is axed in bid to ‘cut costs’
THE BBC is slashing 100 hours of TV shows this year and a major drama is axed in a bid to save money.
The corporation’s Annual Plan revealed that license payers will get fewer new shows because of the “ongoing pressure on the BBC‘s finances and the increasing cost of programming”.
The Annual Plan outlined that for 2024/2025, the BBC’s commitment to ‘first-run original drama’ will dip by 13 per cent to 350 hours.
This figure is largely due to the Corporations decision to axe daytime medical drama, Doctors.
There will be an even bigger drop for entertainment and factual entertainment shows of 15 per cent, down to 850 hours for the financial year from April.
There will also be 10 fewer hours committed to new content across CBBC and CBeebies.
The report stated: “We will broadcast about 350 hours of first-run original drama across our channels and BBC iPlayer.
“This is 13 per cent fewer hours than last year’s commitment, largely reflecting the cancellation of Doctors, itself a result of changes in viewing patterns, ongoing pressure on the BBC’s finances and the increasing cost of programming.”
The decision to cancel Doctors was revealed in October last year after 23 years.
The cast have already filmed their final scenes, but the show will remain on-screen until later this year.
Meanwhile, the cuts to children’s programming was cited in the report as a move to reflect “the continued need for children’s content to have high production values to cut through strong international programming from global streamers and the continuing power of social media and YouTube.”
In more positive news, The Annual Plan did confirm the return of many hit TV shows.
These included dramas Silent Witness, Call The Midwife, Death In Paradise, Shetland and Beyond Paradise, as well as entertainment shows Gladiators, The Traitors and RuPaul‘s Drag Race UK.
It also confirmed Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff will return to screens for the first time since his horrific Top Gear accident in December 2022.
The star will front a new series of his cricket documentary, Field of Dreams, on BBC One.