The BBC has axed its 20-year old arts round-up The Review Show less than 12 months after switching it to a monthly BBC4 format.
The corporation has confirmed that this Sunday’s edition of the Kirsty Wark-fronted show, which will review Richard Ayoade’s film The Double and BBC1’s drama The Crimson Field, will be the last.
The news follows the BBC’s announcement this week of an 18% increase in its TV arts spend to £18.25m in 2014/15.
The Review Show was the latest incarnation of a format that has weathered 20 years at the BBC, starting as BBC2’s The Late Review in 1994 before becoming an addendum to the channel’s flagship news show as The Newsnight Review in 2001.
It was relaunched as The Review Show when it moved from London to Glasgow in 2010 and remained a weekly fixture on BBC2 until its move to BBC4 in April last year. At the time the decision formed part of broader cuts under the BBC’s Delivering Quality First programme.
Critics argued that its monthly slot on the digital channel would be the death-knell for the show but then BBC4 controller Richard Klein countered that the expanded hour-long format would offer new ways, “to expand audiences”.
In its 8pm slot on BBC4, it has averaged a consolidated audience of 94,000 viewers and its 0.35% share is a third of the 1.1% slot average. Its biggest audience was in October, when it drew an audience of 141,000. In its final three months on BBC2 in 2013, the weekly show was averaging 382,000 (3%).
I wonder what will happen the Sky at Night in 12 months time...
Well, with its' new 'kool' format of wobbly camera, crash zooming, filmic effect, and invitations to viewers to send in astronomical photos made on smart phones, I can only assume it's the TV equivalent of constructive dismissal.
Goes to show it ought to be BBC Four what closes and not BBC Three. It gained a loyal audience on BBC 2 only to be let down by moving it to monthly and only on BBC Four, just like all the other BBC2 programmes that transferred to BBC Four. Basically BBC4 has stolen BBC2's identity but done nothing with it apart from repeats of TOTP and some decent Scandinavian Drama's - which could have easily slotted into BBC2's schedule, whereas BBC Three has its own identity and built up its audience and branding.
Sorry to see yet another decent programme disappear.
Goes to show it ought to be BBC Four what closes and not BBC Three. It gained a loyal audience on BBC 2 only to be let down by moving it to monthly and only on BBC Four, just like all the other BBC2 programmes that transferred to BBC Four. Basically BBC4 has stolen BBC2's identity but done nothing with it apart from repeats of TOTP and some decent Scandinavian Drama's - which could have easily slotted into BBC2's schedule, whereas BBC Three has its own identity and built up its audience and branding.
Sorry to see yet another decent programme disappear.
This seems obvious to everyone but the BBC. I love it but sometimes the BBC is it's own worst enemy.
:-(
A former member
BBC four used to have a good number of documentaries which seems to have disappeared. Im sure on BBC two the baking could have been kept for the 8pm slot. with Regional optout on Tuesdays. at 9pm