BBC told to quit ratings war

The BBC must ditch its obsession with winning the TV ratings battle and focus on high-quality public service programming. Tough new rules will mean that instead of "copycat" entertainment and makeover series - designed to compete with commercial rivals - every one of the corporation's television channels and radio stations must fulfil its obligation to screen more peak-time documentaries, original drama and comedy, current affairs and arts-related shows.

The proposals come in a Green Paper on the BBC's future Royal Charter obligations. In effect, it will lay out a " mission statement" for the corporation that is far more explicit than any BBC Royal Charter to date.

Sources close to Whitehall say the BBC will also be warned that it can no longer sidestep its public-service remit by "burying" high-quality programmes on specialist digital channels such as BBC4, showing them out of peak viewing hours or even by putting them on BBC2 rather than BBC1.

The Green Paper drawn up by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport will be unveiled to MPs by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.

It will guarantee the BBC continues to be funded by the licence fee for the next decade - but will include a "lengthy list of quid pro quos" the corporation must meet in return.

"The BBC is unique in terms of quality and uniquely privileged in that there is, in effect, a state tax - the licence fee - to pay for it," one insider told the Standard. "The paper will lay out expectations in terms of quality of programming, and there will be a clear directive that the BBC should not assume that it should be competing for ratings.

"Until now there has been a very loose definition of what public service is. This Green Paper will be explicit about what is expected." BBC bosses will be issued with a warning that "striving for ratings for ratings' sake is not a public-service purpose".

Under the current system, the BBC as a whole is expected to meet certain programming standards. In future each one of its channels and radio stations worldwide will have to prove it is complying with that remit individually.

"It's not an attempt to strip the different channels of their individuality," insisted one insider. "BBC1 will still have a different profile to BBC2 or

BBC3. But the corporation will not be allowed to shove all arts coverage onto BBC4.

"Similarly, it will not be allowed to shovel all its documentaries into BBC2 slots. This also applies to peak and nonpeak schedules - the BBC will not be able to shove out high-quality stuff at 2am and claim this means it's met its public-service obligations."

The new proposals sit broadly in line with the vision outlined by BBC director-general Mark Thompson - but they are engineered to ensure he can turn them into reality.

Last December, announcing a major overhaul along with ?320million of budget cuts, Mr Thompson said he wanted end to peak-time repeats and makeover shows. The Green Paper will enshrine those aims in the Royal Charter.

The proposals do not spell the end for popular entertainment on the BBC. Original shows such as Strictly Come Dancing will stay.

But others such as Fame Academy will be blasted as derivative programmes aimed purely at "spoiling" rival commercial channels' viewing figures.

"Competitive scheduling for no purpose but the battle for ratings will not be tolerated," one industry insider added.

Government sources, however, insist that the BBC itself will be able to decide exactly how it meets its obligations. Other proposals to be contained in the Green Paper include a radical "third way" of running the BBC, details of which will be unveiled this afternoon.

Ms Jowell is expected to rule out both keeping the status quo and the option recommended in a report by Lord Burns - scrapping the Board of Governors and replacing it with a new Public Service Broadcasting Commission.

Instead, Whitehall insiders say, there will be "tough" new proposals to ensure the governance of the BBC is kept separate from its management and fully transparent to licence-fee payers.

It is believed the current governors will be replaced by a new independent board of trustees, responsible for ensuring the BBC sticks to its new remit. It will not be involved, however, in its day-today operations.

"There will be very firm proposals on governance," said one government insider. "We've got something quite substantial to say.

"If you want all the privileges of the BBC, for an organisation that size you have to have a very tough, very transparent form of governance-It has been speculated that the only alternatives are stick with what we've got, or what Lord Burns has suggested. But they are not the only alternatives.

"It's fair to say that people will be surprised because the presumption has been there are only two ways to skin a cat."

But after five years there will be a review of progress in implementing the new Royal Charter.

The BBC's licence fee will be guaranteed for the next decade, and the option of "top-slicing" that funding for commercial rivals will not be considered for the " foreseeable future".

"We want the BBC to play a big part in the analogue-to-digital switchover from around 2012 so stability is a vital prerequisite," said one senior source.