BBC Four 'to drop comedy and drama'

BBC Four is reportedly likely to stop carrying comedy and drama programmes as it rebrands as an arts-focused network, going head-to-head with Sky Arts.

Last month, BBC Four celebrated wins at the BAFTA TV awards for dramas Eric and Ernie and The Road to Coronation Street, as well as Jo Brand's sitcom Getting On.

However, sources at the BBC indicate that the "clear direction of travel" for BBC Four going forward is to focus on arts programming, reports The Guardian.

The proposal is part of BBC director general Mark Thompson's Delivering Quality First (DQF) initiative, designed to help slash the corporation's budget by 20%.

BBC Four commands only 1% of the TV audience, despite its £55 million annual budget. Published last week, the BBC's statement of programme policy for BBC Four tellingly featured limited mention of drama or comedy in its opening summary.

Richard Klein, the BBC Four controller, said in the summary that the channel's aim was "to be British television's most intellectually and culturally enriching channel, offering an ambitious range of UK and international arts, music and culture".

Over the next 12 months, Klein said that BBC Four would become "the gold card channel for arts and culture, approaching subject matter at a level of depth, detail and authority second to none".

An arts-focused BBC Four would be more of a direct competitor to satellite channel Sky Arts, although the BBC is not thought to be keen to portray the channel in such a way.

Various dramas are still in the pipeline at BBC Four, including a film about the photographer David Bailey, titled We'll Take Manhattan, and a two-part adaptation of Charles Dickens's unfinished novel, Edwin Drood.

A spokeswoman for Klein said: "BBC Four has always had a strong backbone of arts, music, culture and knowledge programming. Since strategic review it has been placing a greater emphasis on the arts and Richard Klein's statement reflects this."

A BBC spokesman added: "We are not going to get drawn into a running commentary [on the DQF process] - no decisions have been taken and therefore these claims remain speculation. Any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust."

Last week, it was reported that a DQF proposal to axe some of BBC Two's daytime programming in order to save money was "gaining ground" among senior BBC managers.