BBC One English Regions opt outs

There’s a slightly odd opt-out slot for BBC One English Regions at 7:30pm on Wednesday evening. Most regions are using it to repeat their River Walks episode that first aired last June. South East is instead using the slot to begin a four-part series on the Channel Tunnel.

Even more oddly, BBC West has a further opt-out programme ‘Beyond the Frontline’ at 11:15pm the same evening, resulting in the rest of the night’s schedule being delayed by half an hour.

I can’t recall a recent occasion when English Regions have opted out for a repeat broadcast (it’s more common that they opt out for a regional first showing before a programme is repeated on the network). Any idea why this is happening?

It seems strange that BBC West isn’t using the 7:30pm slot for its new programme rather than the repeat, which would avoid the need for a time shift later that evening.

Looking further ahead, the Channel Tunnel series continues on BBC One South East at 7:30pm the following Wednesday, with West and - unusually - London also eschewing the network programme.

An evening of local continuity for viewers in the West then? First time that’s happened in a while, too I’d imagine!

Hopefully Bristol will do it properly with local junctions rather then just showing network on a delay as has happened elsewhere recently.

Going to be hard to beat this masterclass from Dave Tracz in Leeds a few years ago with what I think is the only modern regional closedown with Christmas idents.

It looks like West's new programme needs a post-watershed slot.

It's a shame the BBC doesn't think a 4-part series on the Channel Tunnel is network-worthy, although it'll probably turn up on BBC Four at some point.

Sounds like it

From the description this sounds like a programme that would be a better fit for BBC Two, it doesn't really sound like primetime BBC One material, but of course the regions can't opt out on Two.

It will be networked at a later date. Don't know what channel, though.

Presumably ticks some regional quota boxes premiering in one region first.

Not really, there is a budget for the English Regions to make their own shows and some of them then get co-commisioned by the network. It'll be a BBC South East production but presumably they were able to interest the network in it as well, South East get to show it first because they made it.

The final episode of the (not at all bad) Channel Tunnel documentary went out this morning in the South East, in place of Homes Under the Hammer.

This Wednesday's One Show is an hour long, so leaves no space for any regional opts.

Badly treated I have to say .

Saw in the Radio Times It was scheduled for 1230pm so tuned in then to find Bargain Hunt on .Checked online schedule then to find out it went out at 1130am.

Checked end of 3rd programme because I didn't remember any announcement and yes no announcement of Sunday let alone 1130am.

I realise I’m late to the party, but I’m curious about that “BBC Yorkshire” branding on the globe. I believe that the “Yorkshire” region does not include the area served by Belmont, which is “BBC (East) Yorkshire and Lincolnshire”. So was it only the “Emley” region that had opted out, or did “Belmont” get their own local pres that night? If “BBC Yorkshire” branding was/is used on Belmont too (for pan-regional junctions) then it’s perhaps not the best name to use when the two regions are being treated as one!

I actually thought “BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire” was the official name for the entire Emley/Belmont region, and even that excludes viewers in the parts of Notts, Derbys and Norfolk who I assume are covered by this region. I can see why ITV refer to the “Calendar region” on their website and continuity announcements!