From constant scandals to the end of the best shows – how 2024 became a terrible year for the BBC | TV

TThe BBC’s three top earners of the year will never be seen again. They are: Gary Lineker (who resigned from Match of the Day at the end of the 2024-25 season), Zoe Ball (who quit the Radio 2 breakfast show) and Huw Edwards (who had accessed indecent images of children). convicted of a crime). The defection rate of their big names is astonishing.

But next year, four high-paid employees will lose their jobs: Mishal Hussain (who resigned to go to Bloomberg TV), Kirsty Wark and Martha Carney (semi-retired), and Steve Wright (who died in February). He will also be absent from work next year. There are also significant questions about whether the trio, who are likely to receive large salaries from BBC Studios (which claims independent commercial status and therefore does not have to publicly disclose their salaries), will be published again. There’s doubt: Jermaine Jenas’ contract with Match of the Day and The One Show ended in August following allegations of workplace misconduct. Greg Wallace, who left In the Factory after similar concerns were raised, continues to be investigated for issues that arose on MasterChef and has stepped away from MasterChef (though he will not appear in the next series). (Succeeded by Grace Dent). Jay Blaze (The Repair Shop) is scheduled to plead next May to charges of coercive or controlling behavior towards his ex-partner.

Depending on the outcome of these lawsuits, the BBC could start 2025 without many of its most powerful faces and voices from its schedule.

This exodus of talent is emblematic of a frightening year for Britain’s oldest broadcaster. Some changes in presentation are inevitable and even refreshing. Although the BBC may be liable for Jenas and Wallace’s reported workplace conduct, it cannot reasonably have known about the crimes or alleged crimes that brought Edwards and Blades to trial. And managers are to blame for the devastating loss of Radio 4’s Today show, its best presenter, its most talented political interviewer and one of its most talented TV presenters. They should be blamed squarely. Hussain’s resignation caps off a disastrous year for talent management. The late announcement of his successor following Lineker’s appointment (his Match of the Day duties seem likely to be split between Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman) also led to corporate communications. It wasn’t as smooth compared to best practices.

This year has also been problematic for BBC programming. With 13 shows in the Guardian’s Top 50, it remains the single biggest content provider, but like the Grand National front-runner, it is surrounded by a bevy of hotshot challengers. Disney+/Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV+.

This clearly shows the weight of the new TV. The BBC can sometimes compete creatively (Wolf Hall, The Responder), but it can never compete financially. Another concern is that two of this year’s foreign hits (Disney+’s Rivals and FX’s Say Nothing) were British stories. An adaptation of Jilly Cooper and a show about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, raising alarm over streamers’ ability to produce drama for export. To the viewer, it appears to be homemade from the region depicted.

Another concern for the BBC is that many of its strong programs have come to a natural end. There can be no more Wolf Hall, the creators have closed the door on Inside No 9, and it feels like The Responder has concluded after two series. Only The Traitors and David Mitchell’s Ludwig suggest the natural longevity of, say, Apple TV+’s Slow Horses or Netflix’s The Diplomat. Credit should also be given to the management team who stabilized Strictly Come Dancing after it looked like it was potentially doomed earlier this year following allegations of professional misconduct. But the first blind contestant, comedian Chris McCausland, proved to be one of the most skilled and admirable contestants of the 22 series.

A few decades ago, electing a Labor government would have been ideal for the BBC. Conservative governments tend to target state broadcasters for structural and funding reforms. In case the Conservatives won again, the BBC had adopted its usual tactic ahead of the Charter Review of showing material that would please the prestige of Westminster as soon as the process began: Wolf Hall. and two popular double roles who have been absent for a long time – Wallace & Gromit, Gavin and Stacey – on the Christmas schedule.

The treatment of these MPs may be unnecessary given Keir Starmer’s immediate support for the BBC in its current form. However, this support may not be as good news as it seems. This year’s annual report showed license fee income fell by £80m year-on-year and commercial income fell by £253m due to 500,000 households failing to renew. (Even Wallace and Gromit is now shared with Netflix.) Surprisingly, this shows a simultaneous decline in traditional and alternative income, with a third, ominous factor: younger viewers. It’s a cliffhanger for BBC viewing.

Statistics suggest that license fee purchases will continue to decline due to a lack of political will for legally enforced purchases, leading some BBC executives to consider alternative funding systems. I had come to accept the necessity. But Mr Starmer and his culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, have so far been cautious about corporate change, with next year’s negotiations over a new Royal Charter (duration: 10 years starting in 2027) The following may occur for the first time: A feature in which a BBC manager urges politicians to be more radical. Anything close to the current situation could spell doom for the BBC.

Some politicians and broadcasters have floated the idea of ​​imposing a public broadcasting tax on broadband charges and house prices, but look at media and social media reactions to the tax increase in the first Labor Party budget. It has been suggested that linking the BBC to state revenue could make it even more vulnerable. . The most likely option for 2027 and beyond is a tiered subscription system with a basic free package of news and culture.

Nandi is ostensibly a friend of the station, but he may threaten the station in other ways. In an episode of Greg Wallace, in which he denies sexual harassment allegations but faces accusations of breaching BBC guidelines, Nandy called on the BBC and other broadcasters to reform their labor practices. . Perhaps this is because it is a ministerial intervention that costs nothing and is merely suggested. action.

The crisis for the broadcaster comes after the very different departures of Edwards and Jenas (and perhaps knowing the problems that would befall the Blades), when BBC chairman Sameer Shah and director-general Tim Davie commissioned a firm called Change Associates. That’s what I did. It will investigate the BBC’s “workplace culture” and report on it in “spring” next year.

You would have to be extremely lucky or curious to not identify any further targets for internal discipline or external media scrutiny during this process. This time, it is likely that executives who were previously assigned to oversee the punishment and who fled will also be included. The BBC may soon face further turmoil.