BBC to shelve DIY shows

The BBC has admitted that viewers are tired of the makeover shows that have crammed its schedules in recent years, and has ordered more highbrow arts programmes instead.

In a statement outlining its ambitions for the coming year, the corporation admits DIY programmes have reached saturation point.

The popular shows, which have become the mainstays of the weekday schedule on BBC1 and BBC2, spawned the lifestyle genre and made stars of presenters such as Carol Smillie, Charlie Dimmock and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. They have also provided a serious boost to the DIY industry. Last year a survey showing that Britons spend an average £100 a week on home improvements cited the shows as a major factor in the DIY products boom.

In recent years, however, critics have seized on the proliferation of makeover shows, claiming they are squeezing more serious and factual programmes to the margins of the schedule.

The BBC's statement of programme policy for the coming year states: "BBC2 will broaden its range of genres in peak time, including more arts, politics and current affairs, which will mean less reliance on lifestyle programmes."

Last month the corporation decided to pull the plug on Home Front, the home improvement show fronted by Llewelyn-Bowen and Diarmuid Gavin.

The BBC's director of television, Jana Bennett, said the corporation would be "pulling back" on some other shows, adding: "We recognise that many viewers are passionate about these shows but we think it's time to create a richer mix of programmes in peak time."

The new seasons for BBC1 and BBC2 are packed with arts programmes.

Last month the corporation unveiled a new arts series called Imagine, which is to be fronted by senior executive and former arts supremo Alan Yentob. And it has just screened a big budget programme about Leonardo da Vinci, featuring reconstructions of some of his inventions.

The new focus on arts is part of a major shift upmarket prompted by fears that the corporation has been guilty of dumbing down some of its programming.

Rival broadcasters, MPs and other critics have claimed the BBC is failing in its public service remit by showing a diet of soaps, popular drama and makeover shows at the expense of more thought-provoking material.