The Loyal Hunt Of The One

For the past few days, when I haven’t been writhing in agony from the kidney infection, I’ve been rather bemused by the pointless fuss caused by comments made by the new BBC1 Controller that she won’t be actively shopping for any new American series. Speaking at the Broadcast Press Guild event earlier in the week, Jay Hunt said that such acquisitions were not a “massively important part” of her vision for the channel and suddenly industry magazine articles and blog posts across the Atlantic are all in a nonsensical lather.

Looking beyond their ninny knee-jerk reaction, which appears to have caused must wailing and rending of garments across Los Angeles, if they had got past thinking that everything is always about them they might have figured out that her statement was most likely directed towards us. Before stepping into the role of Controller of BBC1 last May, after Peter Fincham stepped down over the nonsensical “Crowngate” scandal, Hunt was Five’s Director of Programmes. The channel, known for “films, fucking and football,” during its first few years on air, only began to improve its audience share once it began to aggressively snap up new US dramas.

Aside from the The Gadget Show and Fifth Gear and a succession of crappy action movies, Five’s nightly schedule is otherwise stuffed full of NCIS, The Shield, Grey’s Anatomy and The Mentalist, supporting every variation of CSI and Law & Order available. Maybe Hunt was using the event to announce that now she’s found her desk at White City and finally settled in, she won’t continue that Long Acre mentality, suddenly cashing in the annual £1.12 billion budget – over five times the amount she had to play with at Five – and showering it over Burbank like one of those Bangkok girls who can do that trick with the ping pong balls.

If that isn’t the reason for her doing it, then what exactly is the reason? BBC1 doesn’t do American drama anymore. It used to, back when it had one companion channel and there was only one rival ITV channel. But with the arrival of Channel 4 and Sky TV, ahead of the proliferation of cable stations, all eager to buy new product to fill their schedules, the BBC pretty much took a step back, letting them get on with their buying sprees rather than get into pissing contests over who could write the largest cheque to snap up the latest hit.

It didn’t mean the BBC completely banished American programmes from the schedules. Instead it has been left to BBC2 to screen various dramas and comedies, usually long after they had been broadcast on Sky or, as in the case of 24, until they were poached by the satellite channel. Even when the BBC stumped up £7 million toward the budget of HBO’s Band of Brothers, the acclaimed wartime drama was ultimately broadcast on BBC2. Although in recent years BBC1 has broadcast the rather average Medium in a late-night slot and the more successful Damages, the last long-running drama shown on BBC1 in a primetime slot was probably The X-Files, which had started out on BBC2 until the ratings rose high enough for it to be appropriated.

So, that’s that sorted, which means everyone in American alarmed by her pronouncement can go back to snorting ketamine of their cabana boy’s naked buttocks or eating their way through a bucket of buffalo wings while reloading their assault rifles. Except, where does that leave English viewers? Reported in Broadcast, Hunt continued by saying:

“I do feel absolutely passionate that part of what I’m there to do, particularly in drama, is to spearhead real innovation and creativity and original British product. That’s something that we do, day in day out.”

Really? Well, if anyone has a few minutes spare could they come and help retune my television because obviously I’m picking up a completely different BBC1.