The Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall, has announced plans that have been described as a, "historical moment", for BBC production. He wants to scrap quotas, which currently guarantee 50 per cent of TV programmes are made in-house. Whilst still to be approved by the BBC Trust, it's a move which has been largely welcomed by the independent sector, and rival broadcasters. Steve Hewlett talks to Natalie Humphreys, Controller of BBC Factual & Daytime Production about the proposals, and how it could impact the BBC, and Cat Lewis, Vice Chair of PACT and CEO of Nine Lives Media, a small independent production company.
The team behind the television show Benefits Street has confirmed it will film a follow-up series on immigration in Southampton. The Channel 4 show, with the working title "Immigration Street", will be shown next year. The six-part series is being filmed on Derby Road in the Bevois area of the city.
Channel 4 called it "an ethnically diverse street where the majority of residents were not born in the UK". However, local residents are concerned the programme will bring unwanted attention to the area. We hear from local councillor and resident Satvir Kaur about why she doesn't want a documentary on such an emotive issue being made in her area.
The press regulator IMPRESS has today announced plans for an arbitration service, which it says will reduce legal costs for the press and public alike. A service like this, offering affordable access to justice, was one of Sir Brian Leveson's central recommendations for press regulators in November 2012. Steve Hewlett talks to Jonathan Heawood, Founding Director of the IMPRESS Project, about whether they can offer a viable alternative to the other press regulator IPSO.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
