Duncan: 'BBC shouldn't buy US shows'

Andy Duncan has hit out at the BBC for spending licence fee money on films and US programming.

The Channel 4 chief executive told the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee that the station was disappointed to be outbid on new show Harper's Island by BBC3.

Duncan said: "I don't understand why any of the licence fee is spent on acquisitions. The BBC competes against us and ITV for feature films and acquisitions, all of which would appear on British television some other way.

"If they didn't spend this money, they could spend it on original programming. There might have been a day decades ago when people went to watch a Christmas Day film on BBC1 but that has gone."

He added: "One or two things the BBC have done like The Wire and Mad Men they argue wouldn't be picked up, but a lot of the money they spend would be picked up by others.

"We are not in a position to go out and buy a major show for Channel 4. Where we could find a show that is reasonably priced, it could play a part on our digital channels."