“Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”
The BBC is set to deliver the biggest education offer in its history across more of its platforms. It will bring together BBC Two, CBBC, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and online to deliver a new education offer to children, teachers and parents as a third national lockdown begins.
Reacting quickly to the news of UK schools moving to remote learning, the new offer from the BBC will ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning, even if they don’t have access to the internet.
Starting on Monday 11 January, each weekday on CBBC will see a three-hour block of primary school programming from 9am, including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, as well as other educational programming such as Our School and Celebrity Supply Teacher and much loved titles such as Horrible Histories, Art Ninja and Operation Ouch.
BBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, with a least two hours of content each weekday.
Content will be built around Bitesize Daily secondary shows, complemented by Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles from the BBC’s award-winning factual programming units.
Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Tim Davie, BBC Director General, says: “Ensuring children across the UK have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year.
“Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”
This TV offer sits alongside a wealth of online content which parents, children and teachers can access when and where they need it:
For primary, BBC Bitesize online has an expanded offer of structured lessons in Maths and English for all year groups – these can be used at home or in the classroom. ‘This Term’s Topics’ also covers other curriculum subjects and curates learning content that works for the Spring curriculum. This content can be easily incorporated into a learning plan or used to explore different topics at home. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize, click on the year group and subject and all the content is there.
For secondary pupils, Bitesize is also home to two-week learning packs for English and Maths in KS3 (years 7, 8 and 9) as well as This Term’s Topics for other subjects to be used at home or to support teachers in the remote classrooms.
For students in Years 10 and 11, the Bitesize GCSE offer allows students to pick their exam board and subject to find everything they need to help with their studies. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary for details.
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, says: “The BBC has helped the nation through some of the toughest moments of the last century, and for the next few weeks it will help our children learn whilst we stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.
“This will be a lifeline to parents and I welcome the BBC playing its part.”
Educational content for all nations will also be available.
BBC One secured the top five most watched programmes, and seven out of the top ten, as audiences turned to the channel across the Christmas Day.
BBC One was the channel of choice showcasing a range of entertaining programmes across drama, comedy and entertainment.
Kate Phillips, Acting Controller of BBC One, says: “BBC One had the most popular show on Christmas Day as audiences escaped to Poplar for the Call the Midwife special.
“I’m really proud of the range and quality of programmes we’ve shown across this special day. BBC One entertained the nation and provided something for everyone to enjoy after a particularly difficult year.”
Groundedwith Louis Theroux was the most popular podcast during a record period between April-June 2020, which saw 313 million plays of all content on BBC Sounds across radio, podcasts and music mixes.
Other top podcasts include That Peter Crouch Podcast, The Coronavirus Newscast, Match of the Day: Top 10 and Fortunately with… Fi and Jane
Podcasts which attract a higher proportion of under 35 listeners include Mandemic, The Gemma Collins Podcast, James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds and Scarlett Moffatt Wants to Believe with 6 Degrees from Jamie and Spencer topping the list
The huge popularity of Normal People was reflected in audio too – it was the Normal People series which put our TV companion podcast Obsessed With… into the top ten and Normal People The Soundtrack was one of our most listened to music mixes too
BBC Sounds saw a huge 1.4m increase – double previous quarter – in music mix plays with Radio 1’s Big Weekend UK 2020 and Glastonbury keeping listeners entertained at home during what should have been festival season
New data for Q2 2020 shows an average audience of 3.4 million weekly users across the app, website and voice activated devices. There was a record 136 million plays of on-demand radio programmes and podcasts in this quarter, up 13 million on last quarter, and 2.7 million plays of music mixes, a 1.4m increase and over double the previous quarter.
Many listen to our radio stations on BBC Sounds with 55 percent of overall plays and 65 percent of all listening hours being for live content on BBC Sounds.
Jonathan Wall, Controller of BBC Sounds, says: “The extraordinary circumstances of these months during lockdown and the disruption to people’s lives is reflected in these latest figures and the most popular content.
“I’m really glad we’ve been able to give listeners some real treats to enjoy such as Louis Theroux’s brilliant first podcast, hours and hours of Glastonbury and Big Weekend sets and more ways for fans to indulge in drama hits such as Normal People.”
On-Demand Radio Programmes
As with the previous quarter, Radio 1’s Dance Anthems continued to be the most popular on-demand radio programme with under 35s with BBC Radio 1 Anthems, Elis James and John Robins and Desert Island Discs also on the list.
The Archers topped the chart for all audiences overall.
This quarter, 1Xtra’s Snoochie Shy comes out on top with the highest proportion of under 35 listeners for on-demand radio programmes.
Music Mixes
During Q2 there were 2.7 million plays of music mixes on BBC Sounds, over double the amount of plays compared to the previous quarter. Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton came out on top during this period, while Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Glastonbury were second and third on the list with their ‘at home festival’ experience attracting many listeners.
Podcasts
Grounded with Louis Theroux was the most listened to podcast this quarter, proving popular with listeners as the documentary giant tried his hand at podcasting by interviewing the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Lenny Henry, Boy George, KSI and Miriam Margolyes.
Other new titles that launched during this quarter/at the end of last that are amongst some of the most popular include: Match of the Day: Top 10, Bitch Bitch Bitch with Matt Lucas and Homeschool History.
That Peter Crouch Podcast and Match of the Day: Top 10 are first and second most listened to podcasts for under 35s.
Continuing titles that remain huge hits for all adults and for under 35s include You’re Dead to Me, Tailenders and Evil Genius with Russell Kane.
The TV companion series Obsessed With… continued to be popular, with the majority of listeners this quarter enjoying the Normal People podcast – demonstrating with both the success of Normal People The Soundtrack and Obsessed With… Normal People podcast on BBC Sounds, people couldn’t get enough of the hit series this summer.
BBC podcasts and radio programmes on other platforms
In total there were over 240 million global podcast downloads across the world during this quarter, an increase in 10 million from last quarter.
The Global News Podcast (BBC World Service), The Documentary Podcast (BBC World Service) and In Our Time (Radio 4) continue to be the most popular three titles.
The BBC has launched Tiny Happy People, a five-year initiative backed by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, to support parents and carers in developing the language and communication skills of 0-4 year old children.
Initiative backed by HRH Duchess of Cambridge who says Tiny Happy People resources are ‘gold dust’ for parents
Range of free online tools including fun activities, videos, articles and quizzes launched to support development of under-fives language and communications skills
Celebrities on board include Jenny McAlpine, Kieron Richardson, JB Gill, Jess and Dom Lever, Annie Price and Louise Pentland
At the heart of the initiative is a simple message – talk to children from as early an age as possible.
Tiny Happy People offers a wide range of free films, articles, quizzes and parenting tips that have been specially designed with experts to help to nurture children’s language right from pregnancy.
To help launch the initiative, Her Royal Highness recently met with families involved to hear about their experiences of parenting, their contribution to the campaign and how the Tiny Happy People resources and activities have been helping them.
One of the parents she spoke with, Ryan, and his 8 month old daughter Mia, explained how Tiny Happy People had helped him to identify that Mia has five different cries.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast’s Louise Minchin, The Duchess said: “He’s learnt a huge amount from Tiny Happy People… It’s information like that I wish I had had as a first time mum, it’s gold dust really for families to be given those tips and tools to be able to use, particularly in those first five years.”
The Duchess also spoke of the help that parents receive following their baby’s birth from midwives and health visitors, but that there is a then a gap before they start school which is where they really need the support from initiatives such as Tiny Happy People.
The full film of The Duchess meeting with the families can be seen on BBC Breakfast from 6am this morning.
Her Royal Highness has been involved with Tiny Happy People for a number of months, having visited the Tiny Happy People team last November to take part in development sessions and to learn more about the production process.
The Duchess helped in the character and background development for two animations on parenting, which are now available on the Tiny Happy People website about making eye contact with babies and singing to babies.
Recognising the significance of the project to supporting parents as they guide their children through the earliest years of life, The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will collaborate with the BBC as they develop and roll out Tiny Happy People.
Also supporting the initiative are a number of celebrities who are using the activities to build their own infants’ communication skills. The celebrity parents involved are soap stars Jennie McAlpine and Kieron Richardson; singer and farmer JB Gill; former Love Islanders, Jess and Dom Lever; BBC Three presenter Annie Price; and Louise Pentland, who was voted the UK’s favourite mum influencer last year.
The free digital resources being offered by Tiny Happy People are easy to use and incorporate into everyday routines.
The short films, articles and quizzes cover, in a bitesize way, the science behind baby brain development. There are lots of fun activities to do with both babies and toddlers to support language development and parent well-being along with great tips for new and soon-to-be parents.
Tony Hall, BBC Director-General, says: “We couldn’t be more proud of the part we’re playing in this amazing partnership. Growing up happy and healthy is the greatest gift we can give to any child.
“This campaign embodies our mission to inform, educate and entertain. The BBC has created hundreds of videos and written content that we hope will make a real difference.”
James Purnell, BBC Director, Radio & Education, says: “Early years language provides the foundation for all aspects of a child’s life – right into adulthood.
“Tiny Happy People is a major, long term education commitment from the BBC to help close the under-fives language and communication gap and help give kids the best chance in life. We’re all so proud of it and look forward to seeing parents and carers from across the UK using the materials.”
Evidence shows that more than 1 in 4 children (27%) in England do not reach the necessary level of literacy development (language, communication and literacy skills) by the time they start primary school, rising to more than 1 in 3 (42%) in deprived areas. The picture is similar across all nations of the UK.**
Research also shows that once children start behind, they stay behind, affecting performance in school, job prospects and even life expectancy.
However, evidence also shows that parents and carers can make a big difference if they’re supported in the crucial early years – and if children develop language and communication skills before they start school, they have every opportunity to thrive.
Working with a coalition of partners, BBC Education through Tiny Happy People has the ambition to make a significant contribution to halving the number of children in the UK who do not reach the required developmental outcomes in literacy by the end of their reception year.
Those partners include academics, healthcare professional bodies, The Royal Foundation, Public Health England, The National Literacy Trust, The Education Endowment Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund and KPMG.
All of Tiny Happy People’s resources are rooted in evidence and have been developed with the help of leading experts in the fields of child and language development to ensure parents and carers are being offered the best advice.
They include The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, The Institute of Health Visiting, The Royal College of Midwives, I CAN, early years practitioners through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and speech and language academics at The University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield, and LuCiD.
As part of Tiny Happy People’s launch, CBeebies Bedtime Stories will be broadcast Bedtime Stories read by celebrity supporters, Jennie McAlpine (July 14), Annie Price (July 15) and JB Gill (July 16).
In October 2019, Tiny Happy People was rolled out across Greater Manchester in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Together we created hubs across the authority where we introduced Tiny Happy People champions to work with frontline professionals and parents to embed Tiny Happy People activities into communities. This has provided a blueprint for a total of five new hubs that will be created in communities across the UK every year for the lifetime of the initiative.
Children can learn and develop mindful habits to help them through these unprecedented times with the launch of Your Mindful Garden, a new CBeebies activity voiced by Stephen Fry.
Developed with a mindfulness consultant, and available now for free in the CBeebies Go Explore app, it lets little ones discover three fun activities each day that introduce focus, creativity and calm.
Your Mindful Garden teaches valuable techniques to help children de-stress and unwind – useful skills both in these tough times and for later in life.
Your Mindful Garden gives children three daily activities to complete, each one addressing a different aspect of mindfulness: focus, creative and calm. Whether it’s playing hide and seek with the CBeebies bugs or helping some friendly fish to pick up colourful scales, the focus activities aid concentration, and in turn help to clear and relax the mind.
The creative activities include recalling happy memories to grow a feelings flower, or calming the mind by raking patterns in a zen garden.
The final activity of each day is always something calming. From learning to stretch with a new monkey friend to breathing along with a frog, it’s all about learning valuable techniques that can help improve children’s wellbeing.
When starting Your Mindful Garden for the first time, little ones are asked to dig a hole to plant their own mindfulness tree. Completing the three daily activities gets them a surprise for their tree, with a new reward available to make their tree look more exciting every day.
Stephen Fry says: “It was such a pleasure to be involved with a simple, but beautifully designed idea like this. I hope and believe that many children will find the game fun, engaging and helpful in their journeys through life.”
Rachel Bardill, executive editor, BBC Children’s, says: “Giving kids the tools they need to help them prepare for school and beyond is at the heart of Go Explore, and Your Mindful Garden is a really fun way for children to discover mindfulness from an early age.
“Any parent knows that learning to focus, be creative and keep calm are important at any age – and growing their mindfulness tree gets children off to a great start with this.”
This mindfulness experience is the newest addition to the Go Explore app, which comes packed with activities helping children to develop life skills and prepare them for primary school. Featuring characters from Alphablocks, Hey Duggee and Go Jetters, the Go Explore app draws on the Early Years curriculum.
Following the launch of a whole new children’s iPlayer experience, as well as an expanded education offering across BBC Bitesize, iPlayer, Sounds, Red Button and BBC Four, Your Mindful Garden is the latest part of the BBC’s commitment to keep children educated and entertained during these unprecedented times.
Your Mindful Garden was developed by BBC Children’s and Mobile Pie with the help of a mindfulness consultant. Download the Go Explore app now via the Apple, Google Play and Amazon app stores.
Two years on and things have changed for our A Word family. Joe is 10 years old and living in two places at once, processing the seismic change in his life through the filter of his autism.
His parents Alison and Paul are divorced and live 100 miles apart. Nicola has moved to London, Eddie lives with his dad. Only Maurice is holding it together. And if Maurice is the one holding it together, you know you are in trouble.
A family is always a puzzle and this one needs piecing back together, albeit in a different shape.
New faces joining this series include Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sarah Gordy and David Gyasi.
Filming for the new series of The A Word took place in the Lake District and Manchester.
The A Word series three returns on Tuesday 5 May at 9pm on BBC One and the full boxset will be available on BBC iPlayer.
You can catch up on series one and two on BBC iPlayer right now.
£47m of this figure will be split between Children in Need and Comic Relief, who will use these funds to support many charities and projects helping vulnerable people of all ages across the UK.
The UK Government pledged to match everything raised on the night, with the first £20m going to National Emergencies Trust and the rest split between BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. So far the Government has given £13,555,005 to BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. This takes the total raised, with all government match funding, to an incredible £67m.
All the money raised will now be available to go to good causes, through BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief and The National Emergencies Trust.
Over 200 teachers and a host of well-known faces to teach the nation’s kids, as BBC opens its doors for virtual learning.
BBC’s new Bitesize Daily service powered by over 200 talented teachers
Professor Brian Cox teaches key science topics including force and gravity
Manchester City footballer Sergio Aguero to get the nation’s kids counting in Spanish
Award-winning music stars Mabel and Liam Payne combine music and reading for secondary school kids
Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker drops into Bitesize daily lessons
Hundreds of lessons to be delivered over 14 weeks
The BBC today opens the doors to its biggest ever education offer, Bitesize Daily, and the teaching roll call looks mightily impressive, with a register full of familiar names.
Collaborating with teachers and education specialists, the impressive roster has been compiled in just four weeks and will offer 14 weeks of curriculum-based learning for kids across the UK.
Renowned physicist Professor Brian Cox will bring science lessons to life as only he can, as he covers topics including the solar system, force and gravity.
Famed for his precision and skill on the pitch, Manchester City’s star striker Sergio Aguero turns his attention to numbers, as he sets about getting kids across the country counting in Spanish! And former MP Ed Balls continues the number theme as he goes back to his political roots in economics to deliver a KS3 maths class.
EastEnders actor and direct descendant of King Edward III Danny Dyer delivers the facts on another historic king – Henry VIII – as he brings history to KS1 pupils, while Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker will also be dropping into Bitesize daily lessons.
Known the world over for his natural history documentaries, Sir David Attenborough is also set to be involved, helping youngsters to learn about the oceans, mapping the world, and why animals look the way they do.
Reading and music come together as Liam Payne, Mabel and a host of musical stars take part in a week long Musical Big Read – an extension to a weekly Book Club that will run throughout the 14-week term and see stars including Anita Rani and Oti Mabuse read books aimed at both primary and secondary age kids.
Both in front of and behind the camera, over 200 teachers have come together to help the nations kids keep learning whilst schools are closed. In week one students will meet Mr Burton (Educating Yorkshire), Ms Webb (Primary), Mr Brown (Secondary), Ms Armit (Secondary), Mr Mycock (Secondary) and Mr McPartlin of Britain’s Got Talent fame. They will all front daily lessons available from 9am each week day on BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button.
A host of familiar faces are also signed up to keep students motivated and on track with inspirational messages of support and tips on how to stay focused.
The BBC is delivering the biggest Education offering in its history to ensure that kids across the UK have access to curriculum supported learning for the summer term, working closely with trusted education providers, teachers and partners. All elements of Bitesize Daily have been developed with teaching professionals.
Alice Webb, Director BBC Children’s & Education, says: “We’re proud that the BBC can bring together so many people to offer such a wide-ranging package of support to help children and parents right across the UK at such a challenging time.
“We said the BBC would be there for people through this crisis, and we meant it. It’s vital that every child is able to continue learning – and the lessons we’re putting on will make sure they have fun at the same time.”
BBC Bitesize Daily will deliver a tailored day of learning across BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Bitesize website and app, BBC Four and BBC Sounds, with curriculum relevant offers across the UK.
Together, this comprehensive package is aimed at minimising disruption to children’s education and providing rhythm and routine in these challenging times.
Families and children can now easily discover a wide range of entertaining and educational shows and films, with the launch of a new children’s experience on BBC iPlayer.
Rolling out on internet-connected TVs, it brings together the best from CBBC and CBeebies, and other suitable BBC programming, all in one place.
When selecting who’s watching iPlayer, there’s now a monster shaped ‘children’ button, which opens a treasure trove of viewing – from hit shows like Hey Duggee and Bing to David Walliams classics such as The Boy In The Dress, Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink – which return to iPlayer.
Children can easily find something to watch thanks to more ‘child-friendly’ categories, that let them pick and browse between Trending, Drama, Funny and Cartoons – as well as giving easy access to the CBeebies and CBBC channels.
The children’s experience has been designed to give confidence to parents and carers that kids are watching suitable shows – with content curated from across CBeebies, CBBC and other suitable BBC programmes and brands.
To make the service even more special, it has been given a distinctive, bright and bold design – helping children understand that this is a dedicated experience just for them.
Alice Webb, Director BBC Children’s and Education, says: “Keeping children informed, educated and entertained at home during these unprecedented times is going to be even more important than ever.
“Whether it’s being a number detective with the Numberblocks, going on a global adventure with Go Jetters, or learning about the planet’s deadliest animals with Deadly 60 – this new experience gives children of all ages a place to go to do that.
“We can’t promise solving the sibling tiffs over what to watch – but we can make it even easier to bring families and kids an incredible choice of shows and films on iPlayer. Children and parents can be assured the BBC will be for them during these challenging times.”
Dan Taylor-Watt, Director of Product, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, says: “We know more and more iPlayer viewing is happening on the biggest screen in the home.
“We’re now making that experience even better for children – so they have a safe place to enjoy their favourite shows, discover new ones – and learn more, especially at the moment. And over time, this experience will get even better, with recommendations increasingly tailored to them – making sure they get the best kids experience possible.”
BBC News has outlined its initial plans for how it will continue to offer its audiences trusted and accurate news throughout the Coronavirus crisis.
Director of News, Fran Unsworth, says: “These are unprecedented and difficult days. Trusted, accurate information is vital in a public health emergency and the BBC has a key role to play. We will continue offering our audience a continuous news service on TV, radio and online but this will look a bit different in the weeks ahead.
“Like many organisations we are unable to have all our staff on site due to the Coronavirus outbreak. We are therefore making some changes to what we do to streamline our output to ensure we can work with fewer people and protect the staff who are at work.”
TELEVISION
We will be making some visible changes to our output to focus on the latest news, information, live events and audience questions in the coming days. Breakfast, News At One, News At Six and News At Ten will continue to perform a vital role on BBC One, while we make some changes to support our continuous news channels.
We will be making some visible changes to our output to focus on the latest news, information, live events and audience questions in the coming days.
From tomorrow we will be moving to a core news service on the BBC News channel in the UK – with fewer branded programmes. This core service will replace some scheduled programmes on BBC Two including Politics Live and Victoria Derbyshire. We will be talking to these teams about how they can support the core operation, which will also provide live coverage of major news conferences and government briefings to BBC iPlayer, TV and News online.
There will also be a reduction in branded programmes on BBC World News – and more integrated working across live TV output behind the scenes. Some Persian TV programmes will be suspended.
Newsnight and The Andrew Marr Show will remain on air but will be operated by fewer technical staff; while The Andrew Neil Show, Newswatch and The Travel Show will be suspended. HARDtalk will also be suspended from next week.
Question Time will be broadcast at 8pm every Thursday without a studio audience for a period. From next Thursday it will be broadcast from a fixed location each week. Audiences will submit questions and we are particularly keen to hear from those in vulnerable groups.
RADIO
We believe we can protect much of our regular, trusted output at this point – though we are keeping the situation under close review and will be making some initial changes.
On World Service English, The World This Week will be suspended from tomorrow, with World Update and Weekend suspended from next week.
In the UK, radio summaries on BBC Radio 2, 3, 4 and 5 live will be brought together into a single output from 1am on Friday, with 6 Music using the same script. There will be shared production and output on Asian Network and Newsbeat from tomorrow. The Week In Westminster on Radio 4 (Saturday mornings) will be suspended after 21 March. We are making some other changes to radio studio usage and working methods to protect our staff.
DIGITAL
Over the last few weeks we have seen unprecedented use of our digital news services in the UK and around the world – with high consumption of our live pages, explanatory journalism and in-depth reporting. We will be making some changes to the way our teams are organised to sustain these vital services – and to ensure we can distribute important information via social media.
As a result of this we will be focusing content on the accounts that reach the widest number of people, drawing in effort from across the BBC to support our social media activity, and suspending posts on some smaller accounts over the coming days.
PODCASTS
Newscast will change into a daily edition of The Coronavirus Podcast. Americast, Beyond Today and The Next Episode podcasts will be suspended.
Earlier this week the BBC set out how it will ensure it keeps the nation informed, educated, and entertained in unprecedented times.
Director-General Tony Hall said: “We all know these are challenging times for each and every one of us. As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a special role to play at this time of national need.
“We need to pull together to get through this. That’s why the BBC will be using all of its resources – channels, stations and output – to help keep the nation informed, educated and entertained. We are making a series of changes to our output to achieve that.
“We will continue to deliver all the essential news and information – with special programming and content.
“We also will do everything from using our airwaves for exercise classes for older people, religious services, recipes and advice on food for older people and low-income families, and should schools close, education programming for different age groups. We will also be launching a whole new iPlayer experience for children. And of course there will be entertainment – with the ambition of giving people some escapism and hopefully the odd smile.
“Clearly there will be disruption to our output along the way, but we will do our very best.
“It will take time to emerge from the challenges we all face, but the BBC will be there for the public all the way through this.”
The BBC is announcing a wide-ranging package of measures today.
Our core role is to bring trusted news and information to audiences in the UK and around the world in a fast-moving situation, and counter confusion and misinformation.
In particular:
We will do everything we can to maintain Breakfast, the One, Six and Ten and ensure they continue to perform a vital role on BBC One
We will broadcast a weekly prime-time Coronavirus special on Wednesdays on BBC One, and move Question Time to 8pm on Thursdays, with call-in audiences and remote guests.
We will record a daily edition of the Coronavirus podcast, and film it where possible for News channel use in the UK and abroad.
We will bring listeners the most up-to-date information on Coronavirus through 5 Live. 5 Live will be answering listeners’ questions with regular phone-ins.
We will focus local radio breakfast and mid-morning output on news, open phone lines and expert advice for local communities between 6am and midday.
Under the umbrella Make A Difference, every local radio station will join up with local volunteer groups to help co-ordinate support for the elderly, housebound or at risk, making sure people know what help is available in their area.
We will keep Newsround bulletins on air throughout the day on CBBC.
We will delay the planned closure of the Red Button text news and information service.
We will help people in the UK deal with the impact of the crisis on their own lives, by providing advice, education and support.
Initiatives include:
Using The One Show as a consumer programme show for all aspects of the crisis. This will include health and well-being advice, keeping fit and healthy eating tips, as well as links to other BBC output that can help and support.
In BBC One daytime, Health Check UK Live will directly address the concerns of viewers who are in isolation, offering tips on how to keep healthy and happy at home.
Making BBC Homepage the BBC’s bulletin board supplying clear information – the answers to all the key questions, with public information, health advice and recipes.
Launching a virtual church service on Sunday mornings across local radio in England, led initially by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Subject to outside broadcast capacity and our partners, we will aim to broadcast a weekly Sunday morning church service on BBC One, and explore how to support other religions and denominations, including in the run-up to Ramadan.
We will work with partners to get older age group exercise routines and other fitness programming into people’s homes on TV or radio.
We will retarget the BBC Food website around collections of recipes and advice on what can be made with essentials, especially for older people, and for low-income families.
In the event that schools are shut down, and subject to further work and discussions with the Department for Education, devolved administrations and schools, we are exploring:
A daily educational programme for different key stages or year groups – with a complementary self-learning programme for students to follow, broadcast on BBC Red Button and made available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Expanding BBC Bitesize content, with our social media running daily troubleshooting Q&As focusing on a different subject each day.
Increasing our educational programming on BBC iPlayer, bringing together the best from BBC Bitesize, BBC Teach and the wider BBC portfolio where educationally appropriate.
Creating two new daily educational podcasts for BBC Sounds, one for primary and one for secondary.
BBC Four and BBC Red Button devoting a block of programming each weekday evening to show programmes that support the GCSE and A Level curriculum. In Scotland, the Scotland channel will support the Scottish NQs and Highers in daytime.
We will keep people entertained, providing laughter, escapism, companionship, shared experiences and a sense of connection to the outside world.
Initiatives include the following:
We will bring back many favourite shows, allowing people of all ages to escape into some top-quality entertainment both on our channels and on BBC iPlayer. New boxsets going up shortly include Spooks, The Missing, Waking The Dead, French And Saunders, Wallander and The Honourable Woman, as well as more from BBC Three.
We will be launching an exciting new iPlayer experience for children, offering a wide range of entertaining and educational series. It will be easy to use and easy for them to find what’s relevant to them.
Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 4 will provide the information, explanation and escape that millions rely on. On Radio 4, we will dig into our rich archive of drama with such well-loved titles as The Complete Smiley, all of the novels by the Bronte Sisters, film noir classics by Raymond Chandler, and reassuring favourites as Rumpole and Wodehouse. We will be sharing popular podcast dramas with a wider radio audience for the first time by broadcasting the award-winning Forest 404 and The Whisperer In Darkness. We will also hope to provide some joy and laughter by running classic editions of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and Just A Minute.
We will do the same in BBC Sounds, looking at bringing back classic sport, comedy and drama, as well as exploring using the BBC’s programme index to allow audiences to search thousands of online archive radio programmes.
We will aim to create live fund-raising events, to raise money for coronavirus good causes.
At a time when British culture is having to close its doors, the BBC, through iPlayer and Sounds, can give British culture an audience that can’t be there in person. We propose to run an essential arts and culture service – Culture in Quarantine – that will keep the Arts alive in people’s homes, focused most intensely across Radio 3, Radio 4, BBC Two, BBC Four, Sounds, iPlayer and our digital platforms, working closely with organisations like Arts Council England and other national funding and producing bodies. This will include guides to shuttered exhibitions, performances from world-class musicians and comedy clubs, new plays created especially for broadcast featuring exceptional talent, poetry and book readings.
