THE BBC could treat viewers to a new soap series as part of plans to move large swathes of the organisation out of London. Bosses said they are planning to launch “two new network long-running dramas” in documents outlining the next six years of the corporation. The report promises to reallocate funds so that a […]
THE BBC could treat viewers to a new soap series as part of plans to move large swathes of the organisation out of London.
Bosses said they are planning to launch “two new network long-running dramas” in documents outlining the next six years of the corporation.
The report promises to reallocate funds so that a brand new programme – just like Beeb series EastEnders and Casualty – would come out of the North of England.
That means it could rival ITV soap Coronation Street and Emmerdale, depending on where in the UK it is filmed.
They also say a second series would come from one of the nations – Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
A BBC source said: “We’re still working through the exact detail but we expect it to be a long running show.
“That could mean anything from a weekly programme, to 30 episodes a year, but that’s all to be worked out.”
As part of the plans bosses also announced that more than 400 existing jobs would be moved out of the capital as part of plans to make the corporation less centred around the capital.
Some 200 of these jobs will be from the Beeb’s news operation, and many of the rest will be in radio.
They also said some of the “key strands” of Radio 1 and Radio 2 will also be recorded elsewhere in the UK in a bid to bring them closer to regional listeners.
Bosses said that by the end of the period, in 2027, more than 60 per cent of all television output aired by the BBC would be made outside of London.
Currently, EastEnders is filmed at Elstree Studios in North London along with Holby City, while Casualty is filmed at BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales.
