Dear
With the summer here, we thought you might enjoy the chance to watch some recently broadcast programmes which you may have missed.
I hope you enjoy the programmes I have selected for you from a number of genres – the wonderful, touching and uplifting drama Marvellous; new for this generation, but also bringing back many happy memories for those of us of a certain age, we have the first episode of the new series of Clangers; and an insightful profile of the career of renowned architect Frank Gehry from our Imagine strand.
It’s worth remembering that every week 97% of the population uses a BBC service and audience appreciation of BBC programmes is high. Earlier this year, BBC Two’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall became the channel’s biggest new drama series in a decade; and BBC One recorded its highest ratings share in a decade with returning drama series Last Tango In Halifax, Silent Witness and Death In Paradise all having their most successful series to date.
BBC Television has enjoyed an exemplary year so far with a range of distinctive programming including Poldark, The C Word, Shark co-produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit, Inside The Commons - as part of our extensive Magna Carta commemorations, BBC Scotland’s Stonemouth, CBBC’s Horrible Histories, and coverage of the Women’s Football World Cup.
Over the next few months you can expect a range of new, original and distinctive programmes across BBC Television. We have Big Blue Live which is an ambitious television first that will take viewers on an extraordinary journey with one of the biggest wildlife gatherings in the oceans; drama To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters is an original perspective on the Bronte sisters by multi- award-winning writer Sally Wainwright; coverage of the Edinburgh Festival; 20-part drama series Dickensian which brings together some of literature’s most iconic characters set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens’ critically acclaimed novels; and we have a celebration of Shakespeare planned for 2016 to introduce a new generation of viewers to Shakespeare’s work, 400 years after his death.
Anyway, I hope you do get the chance to watch at least some of the enclosed DVD.
Have a good summer.
Best wishes
Andrew Scadding Head of Corporate Affairs New Broadcasting House, London, W1A 1AA DVD content:
Marvellous BBC Two
Part biopic, part musical and part fantasy, this is the BAFTA award-winning inspirational and incredible true story of Neil Baldwin, played by Toby Jones, a man who refused to accept the label of learning difficulties and who has led an extraordinary life. The drama won 2 BAFTAs at this year’s awards including best single drama and best supporting actress for Gemma Jones.
Clangers, episode 1 CBeebies
The pink, long-nosed and loveable mouse-shaped creatures have returned for a new series following their first TV debut in 1969. Narrated by Sir Michael Palin, each episode centres on members of the Clanger family either solving a problem, making a discovery, inventing something or greeting a new visitor to their small, blue planet. Clangers is currently broadcast at 5.30pm on weekdays, and available on BBC iPlayer.
CBeebies provides a mix of high-quality, mostly UK-produced, programmes designed to encourage learning through play in a consistently safe environment for children under six. CBBC, our channel for 6-12 year olds, is the only UK Children's channel to commit to a minimum of 550 hours of factual programming and 85 hours of news programming every year, and we recently announced proposals to expand the choice of content for younger viewers including extending the hours of CBBC.
Imagine BBC One
BBC One’s flagship arts strand is a compelling line-up of films profiling a diverse array of creative talent: from leading contemporary artist Jeff Koons to legendary drummer Ginger Baker and prize- winning novelists Richard Flanagan and Toni Morrison.
In this episode Imagine… explores the colourful career of architect Frank Gehry as he embarks on an ambitious new project in Australia. One of the world’s most celebrated yet controversial creative forces, Gehry has fundamentally reinvented what architecture can be.
Please note that some of these programmes are broadcast post-watershed and may contain adult themes.
Please also be aware that there is no subtitling on the enclosed DVD. Programmes are available with subtitles at time of broadcast and on BBC iPlayer, and also available on our commercial DVDs.