Watchdog savages BBC output

The head of Britain's broadcasting watchdog has accused the BBC of lacking imagination and producing "humdrum" programmes.
Paul Bolt, the director of the broadcasting standards commission, said the public will turn against the licence fee if the BBC continues to put ratings before innovation.
"If the BBC isn't at the cutting edge, if the BBC isn't being original, trying to find new faces, new ideas, constantly refreshing itself with new things, then people will tire of it," Mr Bolt told the Financial Times.
"People will say: 'Why am I paying my licence fee if this is what they're doing?' Commercial people are very efficient actually at giving people what they like."
Mr Bolt also hinted that some of the corporation's digital channels - including BBC4 and the proposed BBC3 - should not be funded by the licence fee and could be paid for through subscription.
"If you're a public service broadcaster, why are you financing so many services for a segment of the market from money you're deriving from everybody willy-nilly?" he said.
Mr Bolt's attack could spell a rough ride ahead for the BBC. He is one of the favourites to take the role of overseeing regulation of content at Ofcom, the new communications regulator to be established next year.
Commercial broadcasters are crying out for the BBC to be reined in by watchdogs. ITV's audience share slumped from 28.9% to 25.7% last year and the BBC's rising slightly to 38.4%.
The corporation has an arm's-length relationship with broadcasting regulators, with the BBC board of governors overseeing programme quality.
Mr Bolt singled out hospital drama Holby City and police series Mersey Beat as examples of BBC programming that were "humdrum, over-familiar and formulaic".
"One begins to wonder what really is the point of the BBC bringing this to us.
"Let's have something a bit different. They have tended too much to try to find out what it is people want... what it is people have enjoyed in the past, and give it to them," he said.
He praised the BBC's news coverage but said corporation chiefs needed to spend more energy developing other ideas and offering viewers something new.
He also suggested Channel 4 should benefit from a secure form of funding in order to maintain its public service - even linking the station to the BBC licence fee.
A spokeswoman for the BBC declined to respond to Mr Bolt's criticisms.
"These are his personal opinions and we have no comment," she said.
(GB)