Reading - Part 4

Britain needs strong TV industry

A comedy writer has called for an industry-wide defence of the BBC and British programme-makers. He made his remarks in the annual MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival. "It's more important than ever that we have more strong, popular channels... that act as beacons, drawing audiences to the best content," he said. Speaking earlier, the culture secretary rejected suggestions that he wanted to dismantle the BBC.

The writer co-wrote a well-known sitcom, wrote a political satire film, and created a hit comedy series for premium channels. He delivered the 40th annual MacTaggart Lecture, which has previously been given by an Oscar winner, a former BBC director general, and several prominent media figures. He said: "Faced with a global audience, British television needs its champion supporters."

He continued his praise for British programming by saying the global success of American TV shows had come about because they were emulating British television. "The best US shows are modelling themselves on what used to make British TV so world-beating," he said. "US prime-time schedules are now littered with those quirky formats from the UK - the family history show and the variants on the Saturday night dance competition - as well as the single-camera non-audience sitcom, which we brought into the mainstream first. We have changed international viewing for the better."

With the renewal of the BBC's royal charter approaching, he also praised the corporation. He said: "If public service broadcasting - one of the best things we've ever done creatively as a country - if it was a car industry, our ministers would be out championing it overseas, trying to win contracts, boasting of the British jobs that would bring." In July, the government issued a green paper setting out issues that will be explored during negotiations over the future of the BBC, including the broadcaster's size, its funding and governance.

Primarily the culture secretary wanted to appoint a panel of five people, but finally he invited two more people to advise on the charter renewal, namely a former Channel 4 boss and a journalism professor who was also a former editor-in-chief of ITN. The writer bemoaned the lack of "creatives" involved in the discussions.

"When the media, communications and information industries make up nearly 8% our GDP, larger than the car and oil and gas industries put together, we need to be heard, as those industries are heard. But when I see the panel of experts who've been asked by the culture secretary to take a root and branch look at the BBC, I don't see anyone who is a part of that cast and crew list. I see executives, media owners, industry gurus, all talented people - but not a single person who's made a classic and enduring television show."