A Place To Call Home - BBC Two, weekday afternoons

The previous thread about this excellent Australian 50s drama has been archived. BBC Two are currently showing Season Four, having recently repeated the earlier seasons. Season Five has been commissioned and is in pre-production.

Without wishing to sound like 'Disgusted of Milton Keynes', it is disappointing the way the BBC treat this programme which is scheduled in prime-time in many countries.

The programme contains many adult and somewhat controversial themes, such as homosexuality, rape, suicide, casual and overt racism towards Jews and Italians, and the backstory of a character held in a concentration camp and another who was a POW and tortured by the Japanese. Many episodes are censored to varying degrees due to content unsuitable for an afternoon transmission. Unfortunately such edits often compromise the viewer's understanding of some of the plots.

The programme has a loyal fan base almost all of whom have discovered it accidentally, due to little/no promotion by the BBC, who seem to view it as a daytime filler rather than a quality drama that could rate well if shown in an evening slot, and after the watershed.

Complaints have been made via the BBC website's online form but without acknowledgement or a proper response. I think it has also briefly been mentioned on Points of View. Are these the best ways for fans to voice their concerns? As many people as possible bombarding the channel with emails/letters? Any constructive advice welcomed.

An uncut version on the iPlayer would be the sensible compromise.

Is that something they have done with other programmes?

Or show it post-9pm. Simple.

I've never heard of the programme in question, but as it is a daily rather than weekly show and lasts between 52 and 53 minutes depending on episode its pretty clear why it is in the daytime rather than evening schedules. I suppose the alternative would be a late evening broadcast on BBC 4 which has a bit more flexibility to divert from 30/60 minute runtimes.

The BBC choose to schedule it daily. It is produced in 10-13 part seasons, and most countries schedule it weekly across 3 months of the year. It's an ideal Sunday evening "Downton" style drama.

That's because it is


Thing is that foreign imports in prime slots just aren't the done thing any more on the main channels. I'd have thought it would be politically a bit iffy if the BBC tried it. It's not BBC4 fodder either

<cough> Homeland </cough>

Isn't it shown in the same vein (and therefore to a similar audience) as The Doctor Blake Mysteries?

Not a programme I know anything about. I think that's known as the exception that proves the rule

Buffy got a late night repeat on Friday around 23.15, If you live in Scotland it just seemed weird having Buffy on at 18.45 then a few hours later an repeat screening.

I'm unsure how things work, but I'm assuming it may cost the BBC substantially more to schedule a purchased programme in prime time?