0:19:31 > 0:19:34Good afternoon. We asked you to send us questions
0:19:34 > 0:19:37for the BBC's Director of Television, Danny Cohen,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39and you have not disappointed.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Danny will be in the spotlight in a few moments.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44First, other questions being asked
0:19:44 > 0:19:47about how council workers are described
0:19:47 > 0:19:50in BBC One daytime's Call The Council.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I was absolutely amazed at the number of times the council workers
0:19:54 > 0:19:56were referred to as heroes
0:19:56 > 0:20:00and their normal daily operations referred to as heroic.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I can only presume the narrator, Mike Radcliffe,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05was doing this firmly tongue in cheek.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Our nation's council heroes are...
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Their heroic council colleagues...
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Unsung council heroes...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Heroic officers like...
0:20:11 > 0:20:13The voice-over on this documentary
0:20:13 > 0:20:17on the work done by Thameside Council left some feeling
0:20:17 > 0:20:19the high praise was a bit too high.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22They are good people. End of story.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Compare them to 70 years ago,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27the D-Day landings.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Thousands died.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32They were the heroes, not the council workers.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36No questioning the heroic credentials of the central character
0:20:36 > 0:20:39in the police drama, Happy Valley. Did you see it?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I know you're frightened of him but now is not the time
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and tell him what's going on. I need people there and fast.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Sarah Lancashire's portrayal of Sergeant Catherine Cawood's fight
0:20:48 > 0:20:53to get her man kept us all gripping our seats to the very end.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The storylines are fantastic and I have been totally gripped every week.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01It has made me laugh, cry and shout. Well done, BBC. Keep them coming.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03For some though, the post watershed grit in it
0:21:03 > 0:21:06did make for uncomfortable viewing.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27But how about this, Springwatch is being accused of being too violent
0:21:27 > 0:21:30with its decision to show footage
0:21:30 > 0:21:33of the killing of a group of young rabbits.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37But she makes a fatal mistake as she leaves.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40She doesn't cover the nest up and
0:21:40 > 0:21:43she leaves those kits quite exposed.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Then a jackdaw comes in.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53It goes straight up to the nest, looks inside and finds an easy meal.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05So, should the pictures have been shown?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Should the production team have stepped in to save the rabbits?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12We asked Springwatch's executive producer.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's always tempting in these circumstances to intervene,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19but remember, this is nature taking its course
0:22:19 > 0:22:21and it would have happened whether we were there or not.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26We have a policy of not intervening because otherwise,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28we would be influencing natural events.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Some of these scenes are naturally quite tough to watch,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35so we make sure they are sensitively handled.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39We don't shy away from showing the truth of nature, and we warn people
0:22:39 > 0:22:43so they have a chance to look away or not watch that particular scene.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Well, I'm joined now by the BBC's Director of Television himself,
0:22:50 > 0:22:51Danny Cohen. Welcome.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- Thanks, Jeremy, thanks for having me back on the show.- A pleasure.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56We're starting with sound issues which have come up a lot.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I'll give you this tablet so you can see exactly
0:22:59 > 0:23:01what our viewers are saying.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04The first thing is, it's all to do with Quirke and Jamaica Inn.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07If you press there, you will hear from Jenny Hedges.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12I do not pay my television licence to watch mime.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14I was going to go for a drink.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- Well, we've finished at a respectable hour.- Right.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Quirke could be an excellent drama, if only we could hear it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30The cast are brilliant and the subject, so heart rendering.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38Jamaica Inn was another drama I gave up on because of the same problem.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42You are so good at drama, but please, please, could we hear them?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45INDISTINCT SPEECH
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I'm wondering if you feel a bit heartbroken by that
0:23:48 > 0:23:50because she obviously wants to hear them so badly.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53The first thing is, I repeat the apology we've given,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56that we did have sound problems, particularly on Jamaica Inn,
0:23:56 > 0:23:57and I've apologised to viewers for that.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's actually a source of frustration to me on a number of levels.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I've been working quite hard on the audibility of BBC Television
0:24:03 > 0:24:05in the last two to three years
0:24:05 > 0:24:06and due to the work we've done,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10we'd got to the point where the amount of complaints about audibility
0:24:10 > 0:24:12had reduced by over one third.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15So, to get this setback is both frustrating for us, it's frustrating
0:24:15 > 0:24:19for the drama producers involved and I apologise to our viewers for it.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21The BBC went two ways, it firstly blamed the actors,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23then it said, actually, it's the technicians.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26We never worked out what you think is wrong.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29We didn't blame the actors.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31We kept our powder dry until we knew what was going on
0:24:31 > 0:24:34and there was various press speculation about what was going on.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36But with sound issues, it's very, very compensated.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40It can be a mixture of acting, or an issue with stylistic directing,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42the naturalistic nature of that directing.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46An element of it can be how sound is produced in post production.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49We don't want to blame one specific person.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51There is no one more devastated about this
0:24:51 > 0:24:52than the producers of Jamaica Inn.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55They've spent three years producing that drama
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and that is why it's sad when this happens.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It is sad for the people involved and it is not good for viewers
0:25:00 > 0:25:01and we apologise for that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Let's talk about Saturday nights which of course is a vital area.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08A sense that maybe the BBC has not got the oomph on Saturdays.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Repeats of Pointless, Mrs Brown's Boys and so on.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Have a look at our viewers speaking.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25I really think The Voice is just so good, seeing all the judges
0:25:25 > 0:25:26and how good the singers are.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Strictly is just entertaining.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32I love all the comments the judges have to say.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I don't think Saturday night on the BBC is as good as it used to be.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I think it used to be quite consistent throughout the year
0:25:38 > 0:25:41but now, we just get Strictly for instance,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43that's my watch right through the winter,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47but there doesn't seem to be an awful lot to capture me in between.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52I think that they should be playing shows like The Generation Game,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54like they used to in the good old days.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56They just don't make them like that any more.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58We had Mr Blobby, where's he gone?
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Blobby, Blobby!
0:26:00 > 0:26:02He was really funny.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05The BBC isn't as good as it used to be on a Saturday night.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07There could be a number of reasons for me.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I'm getting a lot older
0:26:09 > 0:26:14and I prefer to watch a good variety programme such as Morecambe and Wise.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19I think BBC on a Saturday night should not change.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22There's a good variety for everyone out there.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24There's football for the men.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28There's Casualty and there's game shows for the family.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33I think sometimes, they are trying to emulate ITV,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35if I'm allowed to say that,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37in some ways with the reality programmes.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42There's a lot there from those shoppers in Cardiff.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- There was indeed. - Do you sense a problem?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46We are amazingly committed to Saturday nights.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50We've just had a fantastic run of The Voice, really big numbers,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52fantastic to have Kylie Minogue on the show this year.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- Not in trouble, The Voice? - In what way?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58In the sense that it may be just isn't making the impact
0:26:58 > 0:26:59that Strictly makes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Strictly has been going for over 10 years and you build up a following,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06a loyalty with those shows over a number of years.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08We're in year three of The Voice so a different stage.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Up to 10 million people watching a show on a Saturday night
0:27:11 > 0:27:12is pretty good going.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's also the case that we cannot afford to have
0:27:15 > 0:27:18that scale of Saturday night entertainment on 52 weeks through the year.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20The BBC doesn't have enough money to do that.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23We would love to have that but what we have to do is,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25we spread them through the year.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27We're investing more into entertainment.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30We have a new show, Tumble, coming after the Commonwealth Games,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34a new Saturday night show. That will be on before Strictly.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It is a gymnastics based show,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39which is not something we've done before on the BBC.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42We've also got Doctor Who of course coming back.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Peter Capaldi making his debut as Doctor Who.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45That'll be back in the autumn,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48so we're incredibly committed to Saturday night, but we do have
0:27:48 > 0:27:51to manage our resources through the year effectively.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53OK. Another subject now, your view
0:27:53 > 0:27:56that panels should have women on them, where possible.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Have a look now at the view of a panel show fan.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03Hi, my name is Vicki.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05By day I work in an office, by night,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08I try stand-up comedy. It's just a hobby.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Today I would like to talk about women and panel shows.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14I think the policy of having a woman on all panel shows
0:28:14 > 0:28:18is a good and admirable one and I salute it.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20I just don't necessarily see why we needed to be told
0:28:20 > 0:28:22that such a policy exists.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Why not just put more women on panel shows?
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Jeremy, we've been pushing to put more women on panel shows
0:28:29 > 0:28:33for a few years now and for me, it wasn't happening fast enough.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I think the change needed to happen, it was happening slowly
0:28:36 > 0:28:38and on some programmes it was happening fantastically well.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40On others, it was too slow.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I thought the time was right to say quite publicly,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46I don't think this is good enough, I think we can make more progress here.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48The danger is that the woman who is then phoned up thinks,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51I'm there because Danny has said they need a woman.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52I don't think she should think that.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54I think people should think to themselves,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56there are seven people on that show at least.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58I'm sure I'm at least one woman who should be on it.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Maybe there should be two or three.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03I think people, producers in general, they are looking hard now
0:29:03 > 0:29:06to make sure we have enough talented women on these programmes.
0:29:06 > 0:29:07The people are out there.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09If you're talking about women,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13about diverse contributors to our programmes, the talent is out there.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17We've got to push really hard to make sure they're represented on screen.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Sometimes in my role, it is important to just say, enough,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25we can do better than this. Let's make sure we are doing it.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29Jeremy Clarkson, key talent, made a comment that involved him
0:29:29 > 0:29:32saying the N-word. It was publicised.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34The papers said you wanted him fired.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36You are his immediate boss, is that true?
0:29:36 > 0:29:41I don't want to get into an insight into the internal discussion.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Please do, tell us, because people pay for it.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46I think there's some things we should be able to discuss internally
0:29:46 > 0:29:50around our talent that we shouldn't always play out in public.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I do know and what I can tell you is, it shouldn't have happened.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Jeremy has apologised, he knows it is not acceptable, and we move on.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01There was no part in the decision not to fire him was the sense that
0:30:01 > 0:30:03this guy brings in a lot of money to the BBC,
0:30:03 > 0:30:04that's not part of the decision?
0:30:04 > 0:30:07We were decided in the end and the Director-General led on this,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10that it was important to give Jeremy another chance.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13That is what we have done and we will go from there.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Let me ask you about BBC Three, you've been Controller of BBC One
0:30:16 > 0:30:18and Three as well. It is closing?
0:30:18 > 0:30:21It is closing as a linear television service and moving online.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Let's see what viewer, Ryan, says about that.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29I'm disgusted by the decision to move BBC Three online.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Every night in my house with my housemates,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34we come and sit down and eat dinner and watch BBC Three,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37enjoy it and discuss what is happening on it.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39I understand that the BBC has to make cuts
0:30:39 > 0:30:43but I think it is unfair that they are cutting BBC Three over BBC Four.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45I think the reason why is because BBC Four has older viewers
0:30:45 > 0:30:49and older viewers are more likely to complain over younger viewers.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52- Ryan is not happy.- I can see.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Well, I really respect Ryan's views on it and it's been really good
0:30:55 > 0:30:58as part of this process to hear different views.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01At the next stage of this process, the BBC Trust will be seeking views
0:31:01 > 0:31:04from a wide range of people about this proposal.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07The first thing to say is, we've got to get through that stage first.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Why Three and not Four?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Three are the future, Ryan is the future for the BBC.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14The reason, we looked at both Three and Four when we looked at this.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18The bottom line is, I've been asked to save £100 million.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20The BBC Four budget would not get anywhere near that.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23The other reason and this is the main reason,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25more young people are online
0:31:25 > 0:31:29so if we're going to move a service online, and it's a risky thing to do
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and if we had more money, we may not do it quite as soon as this.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34BBC Three is a better bet to do that
0:31:34 > 0:31:36because of young people watching it than BBC Four.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42You mentioned funding and of course in the end it comes down to that.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46The future licence fee settlement, that will be decided in 2016.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Have a look at this question from Phil.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Now that so much television is broadcast by the BBC
0:31:53 > 0:31:56via the Internet through the medium of iPlayer,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58does this offer scope to charge for programmes
0:31:58 > 0:32:03either by subscription or as one-offs in order to supplement the license fee?
0:32:03 > 0:32:08In other words, will there ever be a BBC version of Netflix?
0:32:08 > 0:32:13So, what if you put Strictly on the iPlayer and you charge for it?
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I think he asks a really interesting question there.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18But I don't believe that's the right route for the BBC to go down.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20I believe in the universality of the BBC.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I believe the BBC should provide something for everyone
0:32:23 > 0:32:27and it should be free access to news and great television programmes
0:32:27 > 0:32:28for everyone in the UK.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30- Danny Cohen, thank you very much indeed.- Thank you.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33That is, I'm afraid, all we have time for this week.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Thank you so much if you've been in touch with your comments.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38There are loads of ways, as you know, to get in touch.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Here they are. You can write to us...
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Or there's e-mail...
0:32:51 > 0:32:52You can also call us.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56The number is charged as a local rate call from any landline.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Or join the message boarders. Always lively there.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Oh, and don't forget Twitter.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11That is it for this week. Until next week, goodbye.