About the BBC
These Statements of Programme Policy set out the BBC's programming commitments and editorial priorities, for each of our services, over the coming year.
A commitment to international, national and local journalism of the highest quality and integrity remains at the core of the BBC offering, and a major new online development, Democracy Live, will help people to connect with their representatives at local, national and international levels and follow their work.
Over the coming year we are looking to strengthen our performance in the nations and regions of the UK, improving the quality and diversity of the services we offer. We plan a new network of specialist reporters to enrich the BBC's coverage of local government, more knowledge-building programming in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a new regional football programme in England. We will also complete the roll-out of the redesigned BBC Local sites, focused on local news, sport and weather and with links to a wide range of external local sites.
Arts and culture will feature strongly. Poetry Season, a collaboration between BBC Two and BBC Four, will provide over eight hours of prime-time programmes, offering a variety of different perspectives on the value and meaning of poetry, while Off By Heart will introduce children to the joys of learning and reciting verse.
Factual programming will be centre stage on BBC One, with new commissions including The Science Show [working title], bringing science to a family audience in the heart of the peak-time schedule, complemented by hour-long specials and online material. David Attenborough's series Life will form the centrepiece of the Darwin 200 season. BBC Two will follow up on the success of Oceans with a new six-part natural history series devoted to marine life, South Pacific, and Stephen Fry will encounter some of Earth's most endangered animal species in Last Chance To See.
On BBC One, contemporary drama will include Occupation, a major new serial about the lives of soldiers returning from Iraq. The channel will also feature a new adaptation of the Jane Austen classic Emma. Mainstream comedy will be strengthened with new commissions including Big Top, Reggie Perrin and The Jon Culshaw Impression Show.
Radio 4 will feature innovative, landmark factual series, including the concluding episodes of the 90-part America – Empire Of Liberty and A History Of The World In 100 Objects, a partnership with the British Museum which will be the springboard for future partnerships exploring history in interactive ways through items in different museum collections. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, programming on Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4 will explore the enduring impact of this event on politics, culture and society over the past two decades.
Radio 1, in partnership with 1Xtra and BBC Switch, will run a series of social action campaigns focusing on issues including drugs, bullying and volunteering, while 1Xtra will be the subject of an on-air 'takeover' project, in which young people not in employment, education or training will become directly involved with its programmes, sharing their perspectives on modern black and urban culture in the UK.
Following the recent BBC Trust review of BBC Online, we will reach out to a wider range of partner organisations in the UK and internationally, becoming better connected to sites and services outside the BBC. Building on the success of BBC iPlayer, we will make the service available on a wider range of platforms and devices.
I believe that the priorities set out in these Statements will make this an exciting year for the BBC and its audiences.
The whole SoPPs document is available in two large PDF files, one in English and one in Welsh.
BBC Statements of Programme Policy 2009/2010 PDF (English) (494KB)
BBC Statements of Programme Policy 2009/2010 PDF (Welsh) (552KB)
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