Credit: BBC Three
It’s the end for BBC Three as a television network. The channel will be taken off the air, becoming an online-exclusive channel as part of the BBC’s cost-cutting initiative.
Shows such as as Don’t Tell The Bride and Pramface will be available only through the channel’s iPlayer service, rather than through Freeview, satellite or cable. However, this move leaves the fate of several other shows in question: new episodes of Orphan Black, as well as American series such as Family Guy, aired on the network, and it’s uncertain if those shows will be moved to a different BBC network, or if they, too, will be made available on iPlayer.
BBC is expected to make an official announcement on Thursday, although stars are already coming out against the decision. Little Britain star Matt Lucas is campaigning to save the channel, taking to Twitter to declare: “Hearing horrible rumors about the possible closure of BBC3. This would be really bad for new comedy. Like, REALLY bad.
“Little Britain, Gavin & Stacey, Torchwood, Being Human, Mighty Boosh, Pramface, Ideal – BBC3 is the home of new comedy & drama #SaveBBC3″
Lucas is joined by Bad Education actor Jack Whitehall, who states, “I really hope reports that the BBC may kill BBC3 are just rumors.”
The announcement comes in the wake of a statement made by BBC director general Tony Hall, in which he declared that “tough choices” would need to be made if the corporation was to meet its savings target.
“We are in the final stages of a budget process to find an extra £100m of savings,” Hall said at the Oxford Media Convention last week. “I will announce the outcome of those decisions in the next month.”
However, BBC Three cannot be moved online until Hall receives approval from the BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, which represents the interests of licence fee payers.
With that said, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the end for BBC Three. 5 Live presenter Richard Bacon suggested that a successful campaign to save the channel wouldn’t be unprecedented, as viewer outcry in 2010 saved digital music station BBC 6 Music.
“BBC3 makes lots of great, clever, distinct programs. If the rumors of it being cut are true, we might need to retool that 6Music campaign,” Bacon tweeted. “As a BBC employee, I can’t get involved in campaigns. So it’s entirely up to you if you want to start using #SaveBBC3.”
As of press time, #SaveBBC3 was among the top trends in the UK on Twitter.
Via: BBC News / Digital Spy
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