BBC Television will carry 11% fewer hours of factual output next year.

However, BBC director-general Mark Thompson was keen to point out that TV factual output has grown by 64% since 2000 and that 2008 output would still be in excess of that achieved in 2004.

The BBC's factual department will be overhauled, with the creation of a single studio in London and a greater emphasis on making more programmes based outside the capital. Under a plan to make "fewer but better" shows, "middle-weight" strands such as Bill Oddie's natural history series Wild will be dropped in favour of landmark shows such as the Discovery co-production Planet Earth and Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain.

Thompson explained: "By concentrating on making less, we believe we can deliver more quality and more value."