0:00:10 > 0:00:12Good afternoon and welcome to Points Of View.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Often the cliche "corridors of power" is misused
0:00:15 > 0:00:19because captains of industry tend to be dotted all over the place.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21But here, this really is one.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23We're in the famous BBC Television Centre
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and this is the corridor, this is the room where the controllers
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and schedulers all sit and decide what goes on your television.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Today we're going to speak to one of those controllers in particular,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Zai Bennett, who runs BBC Three.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39First, though, let's have a look at the other programmes that
0:00:39 > 0:00:43have been attracting your attention, starting with To The Manor Reborn.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15- This is your big pitch, Russell. - Feels a bit like that at the moment.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18We'll see how big it was in half an hour!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21And the wardrobe comments continue with Formula One.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Wonderful that you could join us around this wonderful,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26evocative, historic circuit.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50And BBC Four's American season.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Three million Americans are now roaming around permanently in RVs,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57and 90% of them are over the age of 55.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15With me now is the BBC Three controller, Zai Bennett.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Zai, we've got a lot to ask you cos we've had a lot of questions.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20I'd like to start, if I can,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23with your decision to end Doctor Who Confidential.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Well, Doctor Who Confidential was a brilliant series
0:02:39 > 0:02:41that we made six series of.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It's a show about the making of another show, Doctor Who.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48There are only so many ways of explaining how a show is made.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51In these straitened times, when BBC Three is cutting its budget,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53we have to prioritise different shows,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57the shows that we think are most important to our viewers.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Doctor Who Confidential was a great show, but after six series
0:02:59 > 0:03:02we think it had a very good go at explaining how we make Doctor Who.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17There were reports there was one sitting on a shelf,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20that's nonsense, there is no finished programme sitting on a shelf.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22That show was made for different people,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24so for DVD and for BBC Worldwide,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and there was some footage, about ten minutes,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29which will go online. There's not a finished show.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The cuts to your channel,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34it's been said it'll mean there's only one big drama being made.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36We've had suggestions as to what it should be.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Have you chosen the one that survives?
0:04:00 > 0:04:01We've looked at the dramas.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Him & Her has already been re-commissioned
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and that's a comedy series, not a drama.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08We've just shown The Fades, Being Human is coming back
0:04:08 > 0:04:11in the new year and Lip Service is returning.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13The reduction in terms of our drama won't take effect
0:04:13 > 0:04:15for at least two more years,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17so we're hoping by a form of natural selection,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19we'll know which ones will carry on.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Thank you, Zai.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23We'll break for a moment to hear from a fan of MasterChef.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Here's a little mystery for you.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Why is British MasterChef so boring and dull?
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Why are the scenarios so repetitive?
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Why are the contestants so miserable seeming?
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Why are the main presenters so low-wattage?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37When Australian MasterChef,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40which I've discovered elsewhere on British television,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42is full of life, it's got fresh scenarios all the time,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44different situations,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48the presenters are sympathetic, the contestants seem to be intelligent.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50The great mystery of it all is,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52they're both made by the same production company.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It goes to show we are in a global village now.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Tim was watching Australian MasterChef which he really enjoyed.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Family Guy is another import.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Our message board says,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07although it's popular you are going to axe it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Family Guy is a fantastic series, we love having it on BBC Three.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I can't go into the commercial negotiations
0:05:30 > 0:05:32to see whether we can keep it or not,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34but it'll be on the channel for the next few years.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38We'll give you a rest for just a second and take a break.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Why don't we fill the break with trailers?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42That's what channels do, isn't it?
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Lots of people complain, but not everyone.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Sue Bocking likes them.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51# Bring me sunshine in your smile
0:05:52 > 0:05:56# Bring me laughter all the while... #
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I really like BBC trails.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02They are so much better than a lot of advertisements.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04What I particularly like at the moment
0:06:04 > 0:06:06is the one about the internet.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10# My old mum said she wants to log on
0:06:10 > 0:06:14# But she doesn't know her broadband from her blogs... #
0:06:14 > 0:06:16As a person who likes to write,
0:06:16 > 0:06:21I have a tendency to sort of listen for words.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And I found that the internet trail was fascinating,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28where somebody has actually taken a song that we know
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and has changed the words,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35put it to a really nice tenor
0:06:35 > 0:06:39and it makes a trail that people really do remember.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50One that I think is really funny is the lady
0:06:50 > 0:06:55that walks into a village hall, she must be 70,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57she's in fishnet tights,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01high-heeled shoes and she's wearing a telephone on her head.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06It's the acting that really strikes you in this particular one.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10You should see the faces of the audience drop.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Everybody just stands there with their mouths open.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14I'm jealous.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19Anybody with a figure like that at that age, I admire her enormously.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Sue Bocking is unusual there, she loves the trails and the idents.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26But Daryl Millar wants to pick you up on those straps
0:07:26 > 0:07:28you use across the screen, in particular.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Can't you get rid of those straps?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Lots of our viewers find them really helpful.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They help us move the audience around the schedule, telling them
0:07:55 > 0:07:58what's coming on either immediately following that programme
0:07:58 > 0:07:59or at the same time the next day,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02or a similar show that they may enjoy. Our audience
0:08:02 > 0:08:04in digital television are used to seeing these
0:08:04 > 0:08:06on nearly all the channels.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Just to go back to one of our classic themes, the DOG,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11the digital on-screen graphic.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Why have you not put your DOGs down?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Again, on BBC Three, with the young adult audience,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35they're used to seeing these on-screen graphics across most
0:08:35 > 0:08:38of the channels they watch on digital television.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41They accept them as part of the way they view television channels.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44OK, now Mongrels seems to be a very popular title for you,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and this is Jasmine.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Should I start knitting right now?!
0:09:00 > 0:09:01If Mongrels is successful enough,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04I'd be happy seeing it being merchandised in the shops
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and being able to buy a Destiny's dog
0:09:06 > 0:09:08next to a TARDIS on the shelves for Christmas.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12At the moment, the series is still on air and hasn't finished.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We normally let them finish before deciding on re-commissioning,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16that's what we'll do in this case.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Thank you, Zai. Now here's territory that BBC Three,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21being so techno-savvy, could get in to.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25There's a programme called Click and Paul Ross really likes it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Whilst I understand that the BBC has a priority to deliver
0:09:28 > 0:09:31breaking news when it happens, that breaking news always seems
0:09:31 > 0:09:35to be right in the middle of my recording of the programme Click.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I could of course watch Click on the iPlayer, but that would mean
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I would have to have a decent broadband connection, which I don't.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Wouldn't this be a great opportunity,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48as we don't have flagship programmes like Tomorrow's World anymore,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51for you to actually put Click on to a terrestrial channel
0:09:51 > 0:09:53with its own scheduling,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56which would mean I'd have half a chance of being able to record it?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58So Paul was cross there about Click.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Why not have BBC Three pick it up,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03or maybe have another technology slot?
0:10:03 > 0:10:04I haven't seen Click, I'm afraid,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07so I can't comment on that show at the moment.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10In terms of BBC Three, we do embrace genres
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and we quite like mixing them up.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15We often mix documentary with science, for example,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18in our series How Drugs Work and How Sex Works.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21So we love having science and technology in our shows,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23but usually those are as documentaries
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and real people's stories are at the heart of them.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Another programme idea comes to you from Mummyfoo,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31who's on our message board.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33She really thinks the theme of Young Soldiers
0:10:33 > 0:10:36should be explored more by BBC Three.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45There will be a follow-up to Young Soldiers in the new year -
0:10:45 > 0:10:47a one-hour special following up what's happened to them.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51You did broadcast over the summer a programme called Our War
0:10:51 > 0:10:52to great acclaim.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Do you think BBC Three has cornered the market in young soldiers
0:10:56 > 0:10:58or youth in the armed forces?
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The youth of soldiers is exactly why BBC Three is the right channel
0:11:01 > 0:11:03to look at that particular area.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That's the reason why we commissioned and showed Our War
0:11:06 > 0:11:07and Young Soldiers.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11But I wouldn't want us to have too much of one type of programming,
0:11:11 > 0:11:12or concentrate overly in one area.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15We're revisiting Young Soldiers with a one-hour special.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Our War has been re-commissioned as well.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The subject of money is never far away when talking to controllers.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Here's a very specific question about a programme called
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Don't Tell The Bride.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Was that BBC money that went behind the bar?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Don't Tell The Bride is one of our most successful shows,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44it gets millions of viewers every week. It's been going for five series
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and is coming back next year for its sixth. Great show.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50What happens when we commission a show is we look, in that case,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53it's an independent producer and we agree a tariff for the show.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56We then fund that and they choose how they spend it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Don't Tell The Bride has a comparable tariff for shows of that type.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Is the channel healthy? You've had a lot of budget stuff going on.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Still the most popular channel for young adults,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07most popular digital channel for individuals.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11BBC Three is the most popular digital channel for 16-34s,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15so for young adults. That's amazing. It's also critically acclaimed.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17We've won a huge range of awards, we're this year's
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Digital Channel of the Year for the Edinburgh Channel Awards.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23We've won an International Emmy and TV Choice Award for Being Human.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27So the channel's on creative fire and the audience seem to love it,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30so I'm confident about the future for BBC Three.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Thanks for speaking to us.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I don't think it would be a proper edition of Points Of View
0:12:35 > 0:12:37if we didn't have a mention of Strictly.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38So, here we go.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Yes, it's the filler between the dance-floor fillers
0:13:09 > 0:13:12that is putting many viewers in a spin.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17When Brucie says, "Now let's see what they got up to in training."
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Here they are in training.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Who are you?
0:13:23 > 0:13:25I'm your fairy godmother.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27'I say, why the long face?'
0:13:27 > 0:13:32For some reason or other, they seem to have lost the plot
0:13:32 > 0:13:36when it comes to actually showing the training.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40I get the impression that the producers are stuck for what to do,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and in order to fill in the time,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46they produce these silly little films.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50They cart the celebrities off to all sorts of places
0:13:50 > 0:13:52to do a bit of silly acting.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55And really and truly,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59they're not really up to this,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03they ought to be concentrating on training as opposed to
0:14:03 > 0:14:05dressing up in silly costumes
0:14:05 > 0:14:09and trying to be something that they're not.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12And still the semifinals and the final to go.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Our audience with Zai Bennett, in there, is over,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and indeed our autumn series is over too.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19We'll be back with you in the spring,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22doubtless back in there, banging on some doors for you.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Between now and then, if you want to be in touch with us
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and each other, just go on the message board. Here is the address.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Goodbye.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd