91Èȱ¬

The 91Èȱ¬'s Statements of Programme Policy (SoPPs) for 2010/2011 are published today .

These statements outline the commitments and editorial priorities across 91Èȱ¬ services for the year ahead and explain how each service will deliver the requirements of their Service Licence and Purpose Remit.

Following the 91Èȱ¬'s publication of its strategy review Putting Quality First, five clear content priorities have been identified which the 91Èȱ¬ will strive to deliver to its audiences: the best journalism in the world; inspiring knowledge, culture and music; ambitious UK drama and comedy; outstanding children's content; and events that bring communities and the nation together.

The publication of the statements demonstrate the 91Èȱ¬'s ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all of its services.

The 91Èȱ¬ will continue its role in providing the best journalism in the world.

• 91Èȱ¬ One will provide first-class news and current affairs coverage with flagship programmes such as 91Èȱ¬ News At Ten, Question Time and Panorama. We will also continue our commitment to outstanding national and regional news output.
• 91Èȱ¬ Two's schedule will reflect its strong international remit with Secret Iraq, which sets out to provide an authoritative account of what happened following the 2003 invasion. Andrew Marr will explore the legacy of John F Kennedy in JFK: The Making of Modern Politics and This World will continue to tell compelling international current affairs stories.
• 91Èȱ¬ local radio and regional television will continue to reflect the richness and diversity of England's regions. In particular we will focus on high quality and distinctive local journalism, briefing and informing communities.

The 91Èȱ¬ will retain its focus on ambitious UK drama and comedy programmes with fresh new ideas remaining a hallmark of 91Èȱ¬'s output.

• 91Èȱ¬ One will continue to deliver distinct, unique drama productions, including The Deep, a thriller set on a submarine; Outcasts, a ground-breaking epic new series from the team behind Spooks; and The Silence, a four part serial about a deaf girl who witnesses a murder. The channel is also looking to build on the recent success of Outnumbered and further revitalise its comedy output with new shows such as Mrs Brown's Boys, Matt Lucas and David Walliams' new series and two new comedy drama series, soon to be announced.
• 91Èȱ¬ Two will increase its hours of original drama reflecting its commitment to establishing the genre on the channel.
• On Radio 4, next January will see the The Archers turn 60, with a thrilling storyline under close wraps that will shake Ambridge to the core.
• 91Èȱ¬ Three will deliver ground-breaking humour to its audiences with new formats such as the The King Is Dead, a unique show that combines character comedy with a panel show, a chat show and a spoof job interview.

Programming that inspires knowledge, culture and music will be further enhanced across 91Èȱ¬ services in the year ahead.

• The 91Èȱ¬'s focus on opera, Opera On The 91Èȱ¬ sees Gareth Malone attempt to produce and direct an opera in Gareth Does Glyndebourne on 91Èȱ¬ Two while Opera Italia on 91Èȱ¬ Four explores Italian opera's fascinating history. Radio 3 continues to be the home of opera on the 91Èȱ¬ by extending its opera output throughout the year.
• In religious programming, a major new drama event about the Nativity has been commissioned to be stripped across the schedule at the end of the year.
• On 91Èȱ¬ Two, Silence In The City (working title) discovers whether being in a place of silence can bring about personal and spiritual awakening and Melvyn Bragg will explore the extraordinary impact on Britain of the King James Bible.
• Due to the outstanding success of the Adult Season in summer 2009, 91Èȱ¬ Three will revisit this theme, bringing together a series of informative programmes that explore the transition from child to adult and questioning what it means to grow up.
• Radio 1 continues its significant commitment to playing 45% of new music in daytime. Last year the network exceeded its target and brought through new acts from specialist to daytime including Ellie Goulding, Marina & The Diamonds, Stornoway and Delphic.
• Radio 1Xtra continues to be a groundbreaking station for new, black music in the UK and will play 60% of new music in daytime. In the last year Radio 1Xtra has supported new artists including Tinie Tempah, McLean and Giggs.
• Radio 2 will continue to present a distinctive, unique range of timeless, melodic music, providing its audience with a rich offering, ranging from folk to danceband, blues to organ music.
• Radio 3 will also create a special day of live broadcasting, the 91Èȱ¬'s Big Concert, celebrating the work of the 91Èȱ¬'s six performing groups.
• Radio 4 will contribute to the 91Èȱ¬-wide 2010 celebration of science, with programmes including The Infinite Monkey Cage and So You Want To Be A Scientist?

Sport and Event programming will play a central part across the 91Èȱ¬ this year.

• In addition to the usual sporting calendar with highlights including Wimbledon, Formula 1 and the Commonwealth Games, 91Èȱ¬ One and Radio 5 Live will also follow the World Cup story from South Africa, bringing the nation together over the agony and excitement of the matches this summer.
• The autumn will bring a new-look Children In Need event, getting communities involved in fund raising from all corners of the UK.

The 91Èȱ¬ will continue its commitment to outstanding children's content with highlights including:

• The factual line-up for the year ahead will include inspirational programmes such as This Kid Can Change The World (working title) and Newsround specials.
• There will be programmes to stimulate and engage our younger audiences, such as the new series Zingzillas which uses music to stimulate children's creativity and fire their imagination.
• Through their links with Spooks and Doctor Who respectively, both MI High and The Sarah Jane Adventures will strengthen the connection between C91Èȱ¬ and 91Èȱ¬ One drama while bolstering our commitment to quality programming for 6–12 year olds.

91Èȱ¬ Online will continue to provide world-class content and services to users in the UK and across the world.

• As it becomes more focused, 91Èȱ¬ Online will gain a renewed emphasis on the 91Èȱ¬'s editorial priorities, which will result in the closure and consolidation of some parts of 91Èȱ¬ Online.
• We will redesign a number of significant sites in 2010, including news, sport, comedy, food and C91Èȱ¬. These will be part of site-wide improvements to the design and shape of 91Èȱ¬ Online, intended to deliver a more satisfying and consistent experience to all our users, whichever part of the site they are on.
• The hugely successful 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer will enrich users' interaction with our content. We will continue to make the core 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer available on a wider range of platforms and devices. It will become more open, increasing the number of external links and traffic flowing through them.

Notes to Editors

The 91Èȱ¬'s Statements of Programme Policy 2010/11 are published on the About the 91Èȱ¬ website.

Under the Communications Act 2003, each public service broadcaster must produce an annual statement identifying its commitments for delivering its public service remit in the year ahead. This is the eighth set of 91Èȱ¬ statements.

The terms under which the 91Èȱ¬ is required to produce statements for its public services are covered in the Agreement with the Secretary of State presented to Parliament in July 2006.

The regulatory programming quotas placed on the 91Èȱ¬, which are monitored by Ofcom, are in addition to SoPPs commitments. These are measured by Ofcom on a calendar year basis and compliance reported by the external regulator.

The 91Èȱ¬ Trust will monitor the 91Èȱ¬'s performance against these statements. The 91Èȱ¬ will report against the statements made today and will publish their findings in the Annual Report and Accounts 2010/2011, scheduled for publication in July 2011.

The 91Èȱ¬'s accounting year runs from 1 April to 31 March.

91Èȱ¬ Press Office