BBC will have to air repeats because of coronavirus filming difficulties

The BBC will have to air repeats because of the effect of coronavirus pandemic on TV and radio production, executives have said.

James Purnell, director of radio and education, said the corporation was working to get filming off the ground again but suggested the effect on schedules would be starker next ear.

“Yes, we are going to have to have some repeats. The main thing driving that is it’s very hard to film right now,” he told the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee.

“On the television side, in children’s, we have had to cancel quite a significant proportion of the dramas and comedy we were planning to film over the summer.

“We’re working very hard with the industry and the DCMS (Department For Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) to get television production back up and running as soon as possible.

He said radio was “a bit easier” to manage due to the practicalities of recording programmes.

Mr Purnell however said the “vast majority of the service” had been up and running during the pandemic despite predictions that the broadcaster might have to move to a news-only operation.

Eastenders is among programmes expected to be moving to repeats as the stockpile of new episodes ready to air runs out.

Clare Sumner, the corporation’s director of policy said the schedule was “going to be mixed” and said there would be “innovations” in recording television shows in new format during the pandemic.

But she also added: “You’ll see that mixture of shows that we can innovate easily in this period and other things that can make more time.

“Eastenders is coming back into production at the end of this month although we run out fairly shortly, and we’re going to introduce, if you like, some old classics.”

She said the number of new shows would “particularly get thinner next year” because of the shape of the production schedule.

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk