BBC One to showcase enhanced current affairs programming commitment

The BBC has announced a package of measures, including greater investment and extra hours in peak time, designed to increase the prominence and appeal of current affairs programming on BBC One.
The measures, to be introduced in 2005/6, will include: Doubling the number of midweek hours of current affairs and investigations specials to 16 hours per year; An additional 10.5 hours of current affairs in peak time, bringing the annual total of current affairs in peak to 48.5 hours; An extra £3m invested across current affairs, including in 'Panorama' and 'Real Story'.
Helen Boaden, Director, BBC News, said: "These are exciting plans which aim to fulfil the commitment that the BBC has made to increase the prominence and appeal of Current Affairs programming in peak time on BBC One.
"From our audience research, we know that people consider current affairs programming to be very important to them as citizens and we are fully committed to delivering the BBC's hallmark of trustworthy and rigorous investigative journalism that is relevant to people's lives."
The BBC's flagship current affairs programme, Panorama, is to account for at least half of the planned 16 hours of midweek specials per year, while the Panorama run on Sundays is to be increased from 28 x 45 minute programmes to 30 x 45 minute programmes.
Jana Bennett, Director, BBC Television, said: "Panorama is one of the most authoritative and respected parts of the BBC One schedule and will remain so.
"Our decision, after long consideration, to leave it in its regular Sunday night slot is designed to secure its award-winning, hard-hitting journalism and to support the programme makers in pursuing the agenda they believe in.
"The major increase in midweek peaktime specials will also give the programme the opportunity to create additional impact and to promote the sense of an agenda-setting event in the midweek schedule."
Additionally, Real Story will evolve into a single subject programme and extend to 32 editions.
The strategy also aims for a wide audience reach through Nations and Regions current affairs programmes such as 'Frontline Scotland', 'Spotlight' (Northern Ireland), 'Week In Week Out' (Wales) and 'Inside Out' (English Regions) - all on BBC One, together with related programmes that complement the core current affairs offer, such as political programmes and consumer affairs.
In addition to this new core commitment, BBC One has made an commitment to commission more hours of peak-time serious factual programmes from outside of the current affairs department - recent examples of which include dramas with contemporary significance such as 'Dirty War' and documentaries 'The Secret Policeman', 'Secret Agent' and 'The Protectors', as well as consumer affairs programmes such as 'Watchdog'.
The politics strands 'Question Time', 'This Week' and 'The Politics Show' will also remain part of BBC One current affairs programming.
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