BBC under fire over plans to slash budget for Songs of Praise
by Mark Hookham, Mail on Sunday:
The BBC came under fire last night over plans to slash the cost of Songs Of Praise by broadcasting more repeats of hymns from its archive.
A document reveals that producers have been asked to ‘streamline’ the amount of new music filmed in churches and cathedrals each year and instead use its ‘extraordinary existing library’ of previously recorded hymns.
The show’s budget could also be reduced by up to 12.5 per cent, from £4 million to £3.5 million a year, as part of belt-tightening across the BBC, it is claimed.
The Corporation has now invited production companies to submit plans to make the show after its existing contract with Avanti Media and Nine Lives Media expires. Episodes under the new deal will begin airing from next June and run until 2024. Documents reported by The Times reveal the broadcaster has told potential producers: ‘We especially welcome ideas around utilising the extraordinary existing library of music, thus streamlining the volume of new music captured each year while maintaining viewers’ expectation of the series.’
With more than one million viewers, Song Of Praise – launched in 1961 – remains the BBC’s biggest religious TV show.
Its presenters include singers Aled Jones and Katherine Jenkins and priest Kate Bottley.
Michael Nazir-Ali, former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, urged BBC chiefs to safeguard the programme. He said: ‘If it’s a cost-cutting exercise, then I think that is unfortunate. I think they should keep up their level of investment in a programme like that, which continues to be popular.
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