BBC Four: Keating lays out vision

Roly Keating, BBC Four controller, has spoke of his vision for the new digital channel, which goes on air this Saturday.

"Imagine you lived close to a new, world-class cultural centre - so close that you could go there whenever you liked," he said. "Each evening you might drop in to enjoy the best in contemporary documentary, music, theatre, or international cinema. It would bring you performances that you've read about and wanted to see, and create compelling productions of its own.

"You could check out the day's news from a global viewpoint, or discover engrossing new films about history, people, politics, culture and the arts. And you could seek out the pleasures of intelligent discussion, spending time with some of the world's most eloquent people - writers, thinkers, scientists, business leaders - offering the liveliest thinking on everything from philosophy to physics. Naturally, entry to everything would be free.

"This is the vision we aim to bring to life with BBC four," he continued, "a new television channel which we hope will surprise, delight, and challenge but, above all, offer something satisfyingly different from the mainstream. BBC Four is the biggest innovation in cultural broadcasting for a generation, and it's available free to anyone with a digital television or receiver."

More on the build-up to the launch of BBC Four to come this week here on Digital Spy.