BBC Director General Tony Hall speaks at the Future of the BBC Event on Monday 7 September at the Science Museum in London.

In yesterday's Observer, Director-General Tony Hall explained how the BBC will still be a hub of creativity and innovation after last week's Licence Fee negotiations with the Government. The article appears in full below.

As the dust settles after a challenging week of negotiation over funding and debate about the future of the BBC, three things are clear.

First, the BBC has negotiated a strong financial settlement from the government that gives us stability and clarity, but we should be in no doubt that the charter process will be tough.

Second, despite noises to the contrary, the BBC is as independent today as it has ever been. There has been no fundamental change in the relationship between government and corporation. Nor will there be under my watch.

Third, although the BBC used the pre-budget window of opportunity to reach a fair deal, it is not a process we would have chosen and it is not a process that should be repeated.

So how did we get here? Nearly two weeks ago, the government approached us about taking on the cost of funding free licences for the over-75s. If this had been imposed on us without compensation, we would have lost nearly a quarter of our funding.

So we went into intense negotiations with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Treasury.

Our objective was a strong deal for our audiences – the millions of people who use the BBC every day. I made it clear that I was not prepared to do the wrong deal or a deal on any terms.

But recognising the financial priorities of the government, I saw this as the chance to agree some important changes that have helped secure the BBC’s future for the next charter period. As a result of this, the BBC will be funded by the licence fee for the next charter and the government will modernise the way we define a TV licence so that people will need one to use services such as BBC iPlayer. This continues the journey of modernisation that began with the first radio licence in the 1920s; we have a commitment to return the ringfenced £150m a year being used to support broadband rollout back to BBC programmes and services; and we have a commitment to increase the licence fee by inflation in the next charter. This increase is something we have not had for seven years.

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The chancellor gave me his commitment to these changes. The way this financial settlement is shaped gives us, in effect, flat funding for our content and services for the first five years of the next charter. But even with this certainty, major efficiency savings will have to be found and difficult decisions taken.

Some have said that this transfer of a welfare obligation compromises the BBC’s independence. It does not. Successive governments have used the licence fee in different ways to fund priorities that are only indirectly connected to BBC output, for example, to support broadband rollout. So this is not a new debate and last week did not mark some seismic shift in the relationship between the BBC and the government. Our independence is precious and will never be negotiated away.

However, for people to have confidence in the country’s most important news organisation, they must know that its journalists will ask the difficult questions without fear or favour. So I believe that in future the debate about the BBC’s scale and funding should be taken out of the political cycle.

Now we have fixed the funding settlement, the debate moves on to what the BBC does with that funding.

We have never been afraid of debate about our future. I am proud of what the BBC does and the quality of our output. Every day, 46 million people in the UK use our services. Every week, virtually every adult in the UK uses us for, on average, 18 hours a week. The World Service is one of Britain’s greatest exports. We are the cornerstone of the UK’s world-beating creative economy.

So what is most important is that the voice of the audience and the voice of people who care about the BBC are heard in the debate. The public are our shareholders. Their view will always be the most important.

We should be under no illusion that this is a period of high risk for the BBC. While no one wants to abolish the BBC, there will be some who want to diminish us for their own narrow interests. We must remind them that the British public do not share their views.

There will be others who want to join in the debate about public service broadcasting with ideas for reform. We will listen and learn and reflect on what we hear. We have our own plans for adapting the BBC further to become a truly internet-first organisation over the coming years, which we will set out in the autumn. I believe that they will open up even greater opportunities for our audiences and for our creative industries.

This charter review matters much more than most. It’s about something bigger than the BBC – it’s about the future of public service broadcasting, British creativity and the success of our creative economy. We face big choices. But with public support, this is the chance to renew and enhance an organisation that we all deeply care about.

It will be a tough fight ahead. But I am confident that – at the end of the process – the BBC will emerge stronger, re-energised and with its best days ahead of it.

Tony Hall is the BBC Director-General

Director-General Tony Hall talked to Andrew Marr on Sunday 21 June 2015

Director-General Tony Hall emailed staff yesterday congratulating them on the BBC's wins at the BAFTAs at the weekend. We've published the email in full below. 

Dear All,

I thanked everyone last week for our election coverage – and what an amazing weekend it was with our VE Day commemorations and the BAFTAs.

The BBC won a total of eleven awards – more than any other broadcaster – which is yet another testament to the hard work of everyone in the organisation. The sheer range of nominees and winners was a great demonstration that the BBC is at the top of its game creatively. And many of the programmes are now once again on iPlayer for the public to enjoy.

The best argument for the BBC lies in the quality of its programmes. But there can never be any room for complacency. The challenge for us all over the coming months is to push ourselves to do even better for the people that matter most - our audiences.

We now also have a new Government and we look forward to working with the new Secretary of State. Ahead of us lie the Charter Review and the licence fee negotiations. Quite rightly, there will be lively and robust debate about the future of the BBC and its role in public life. We should approach this debate with confidence. The BBC is a treasured national asset but of course it cannot be immune to change. The BBC should be prepared to be bold and inventive about its future and we should also encourage the public to have its voice in that debate. That is why we will be publishing our own proposals in the next few months on how the BBC can flourish in the internet age as we look forward to our Centenary.

Thank you again for all your hard work and everything you do for the BBC.

Best wishes,

Tony Hall
Director-General

Tony Hall is joined by Tess Daly, Bruce Forsyth, Claudia Winkleman and Tim Davie

Earlier today Tony Hall spoke to BBC staff in the Radio Theatre, Broadcasting House, thanking staff for a great year of BBC output. He also outlined some of the BBC activities in the next 18 months, encouraging staff to help make the argument for the future of the organisation.

Tony began by thanking staff for a great year of BBC programming, a year when the organisation has been at the top of its game creatively – and looked ahead to a "momentous year".

Talking to staff congregating in the Radio Theatre, Tony warned that this year was a moment of "high risk" - most importantly the public who use its services, with a very real danger that the BBC could be "diminished" or "stuck in an analogue cul-de-sac, without the freedom to reinvent itself and public service broadcasting."

But there was also a "great possibility" for the organisation to make itself strong and confident – "A BBC ready to keep advancing in the digital age … Doing so is vital if the BBC is to continue making the programmes and providing the services the public love."

On the subject of charter renewal, Tony was emphatic.

"... there may be some – I hope only a few – who try to use the impending Charter Review to influence our coverage of politics in this most sensitive of political years. We will never let that happen, because to do so would betray the public and the ideals of the BBC," adding that, "impartiality will guide everything we do, and we will report without fear or favour. We will get things wrong – it's inevitable – and we will reflect and put things right where we have. But we will never confuse justifiable complaints with naked bullying."

He went further, "There will be others who just want to join in a vital debate about public broadcasting with ideas for change and reform. I want them to know that we will listen and learn and reflect on what we hear. Our confidence will never be arrogance, our pride will never be complacency, our determination will never be defensiveness."

"We live at a time of unparalleled change in media. Never have audiences changed so fast, or global competition changed our environment so radically.That makes this Charter Review matter much more than most: we face big choices about the future of public service broadcasting and the BBC. But I am confident that at the end of the process we will emerge stronger, re-energised and with our best days ahead of us."

This article first appeared in the Sun newspaper on Wednesday 24 December 2014.

Without some things, it just wouldn’t be Christmas — the tree, turkey and a festive dose of EastEnders.

Millions of people will spend some of their Christmas Day watching the BBC.

If you don’t see who’s having a pint at the Queen Vic you might be sitting with the kids to watch Doctor Who or Strictly — or laughing at Mrs Brown’s Boys when they’ve gone to bed. Or maybe you’re looking forward to the first of two Miranda specials.

Christmas shows the BBC at its best, bringing you so many of the nation’s favourite shows. For just £2.80 per household every week, I think you get incredible value from the licence fee all year round whether you watch our programmes, listen to the radio or use BBC iPlayer or our websites.

I know in recent weeks The Sun has questioned that and some readers may have their doubts as well. So let me try to convince you.

The millions of families who will watch our programmes this Christmas show how the BBC can bring Britain together at special moments. Just like when Rory McIlroy won the Open this year and Lewis Hamilton became Formula One World Champion — moments seen live on the BBC.

Look what else you get for your licence fee — the World Cup, Olympics, Match of the Day, CBeebies and CBBC, new British dramas like The Missing and The Fall, the best natural history programmes, all of our radio stations, the BBC website and impartial news from around the world.

There’s something for everyone — because if everyone pays in through the licence fee you should all get something back as well, and not just at Christmas. But to make great programmes we need great people at the BBC. The people we need would otherwise work for others who can pay seven figure salaries.

Because our money comes from you, it’s right that the BBC should pay much less.

But there is a level as well beneath which we wouldn’t get the right people. Talent — such as a finance director who saves the BBC hundreds of millions of pounds — costs.

To make sure every penny is put to good use, we’ve saved lots of money by cutting staff numbers and senior managers, limiting pay increases, selling off costly buildings and negotiating better contracts. We’re more efficient, but I know there’s more still to do so we’re not resting on our laurels.

We aren’t perfect. But where we’ve made mistakes we’ve learnt from them. Capping the amount people can receive in pay-offs when they lose their job was one of the first things I did when I returned as Director General.

The Sun and the BBC agree on lots of things — we both want to celebrate the best of Britain, and we both know that you want value for money. I hope you’ll agree that’s what you’re already getting. As you enjoy the amazing programmes we’ve got lined up for you this Christmas, I’m confident we’ll give you even more next year.

Tony Hall is Director-General of the BBC. 

This article first appeared in the Sun on Wednesday 24 December 2014. 

“Natural History is in the BBC’s DNA” says BBC Director-General Tony Hall as he welcomes an audience of wildlife enthusiasts to the Radio Theatre in New Broadcasting House today to announce the launch of the UK edition of BBC Earth. The website will provide a digital home for all things BBC Nature, including social media, hosting pictures from the public and a new interactive feature ‘Your Life on Earth’.

Carlos Acosta at the BBC Young Musician competition launch.

Tonight, Director-General Tony Hall spoke at the National Assembly for Wales Reception. He opened his speech by saying, 

"I have been back at the BBC a year today – and it has been exhilarating (well, mostly exhilarating). To be given the right to be funded by a licence fee is a tremendous privilege. And the truth is that the people of Wales – as in every other part of the UK - make a bold and generous commitment in paying for the BBC.

They own it, they love it, and they expect only the best from it. Every day we have to show we are worthy of that commitment.

I have also returned to the BBC to find a Wales that’s transformed.

I was BBC’s Director of News during the uncertain days of 1997 when the very idea of devolution in Wales was so hotly contested and divisive. Coming back now, I find a nation that exudes a self-confidence, a clearer sense of itself and its own values, and an ambition that feels very different.

But it is not just Wales that has changed. I have also come back to find a BBC Wales that’s transformed. Truly transformed."

He went on to pay tribute to BBC Wales' contribution to drama, underlined how audiences in Wales were served by the BBC, illustrated how new talent was also being supported by the corporation in addition to highlighting the forthcoming Dylan Thomas Season. 

He closed his speech by considering,  

"... Wales without the BBC.

Where would a nation find its voice in both its languages, where would it be able to explore its identity, its geography, its people? How would a nation come together to share its common heritage? Or debate its shared challenges? Or celebrate its national successes?

Just consider that every day the BBC is actively chosen by the Welsh public close to seven million times. And every day, the average use of the BBC in Wales is over six and a half hours per household – the highest level anywhere in the UK.

But while I challenge anyone to find better value, I also challenge you tonight to tell us how we can continue to improve and deepen the service we offer Wales; how we can continue to ensure that Wales can see itself and talk to itself on its own terms in a digital, interactive world; and how we can continue to take the very best talent produced and developed here in Wales and place it on a global stage."

• Read the full speech on the Media Centre website.
• Read more posts by Tony Hall. 

I know that many readers care passionately about the arts. I do too. This country has a lot to be proud of and our cultural scene is one of the finest in the world.

You pay the licence fee and I see it as my job to give you a front-row seat at the best cultural events. Not only that, I want brilliant coverage of the arts and first-class programmes. That is why last week I announced the biggest package of arts programming the BBC has produced in a generation.

So what is in store? Well, we are working with some of the biggest names in the business to bring the arts to life. Simon Russell Beale, Gemma Arterton, Darcey Bussell, Tom Hollander and Sir Simon Rattle will ensure there is something for everyone. We will be bringing the National Theatre and the Edinburgh Festival into people’s living rooms.

Everybody will get the chance to see the best actors and hear the greatest music, no matter where they live. We will work with some of Britain’s greatest institutions like Tate, the National Portrait Gallery and The National Galleries of Scotland to bring their collections to life.

We will be there when Museums At Night throw open the doors of more than 500 museums, galleries and heritage sites in 200 cities and towns, for just one night. Our favourite BBC programmes are also getting involved.

The One Show will launch its own art competition next month, with an opportunity for the winners to see their work displayed at the Royal Academy. More than 118,000 youngsters have entered the 500 Words writing competition that Chris Evans has been running on his Radio 2 show. He will be unveiling the winners at the Hay Festival in late May.

There will also be all kinds of other programming designed to celebrate reading and bring books to life. On television we will see a new animated music film for children and young people by Michael Morpurgo, the author of War Horse.

There will be a new BBC One series on painting provisionally called The Big Picture on air early in 2015, while the team behind The Hollow Crown will make versions of some of Shakespeare’s great plays.

On radio we will introduce 10 new voices to Radio 4, in a dedicated fortnight of dramas by first or second-time writers, produced in Bristol, Salford, Wales and London. Meanwhile, three northern writers have been commissioned to make a new piece of work for BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, in partnership with Arts Council England.

On Radio 2, the Book Club will continue to showcase new and exciting writers on Simon Mayo’s show and across the network.

Online, we will be launching an arts portal, BBC Arts online, offering more opportunities to see new material, as well as a chance to watch some of the best events across the country live or on-demand.

Books On The BBC will give people the opportunity to talk directly to authors online, supporting and inspiring reading and literary discussion.

We will also use BBC iPlayer to bring together the wealth and range of BBC arts programming across all channels into a single category, to make it easier to find new shows.

I am also conscious that the arts risk becoming marginalised for future generations unless more is done to get children and young people interested. Which is why, in addition to Michael Morpurgo’s new animation, this Easter CBeebies will be collaborating with the Northern Ballet on a production of The Three Little Pigs.

For older children, CBBC and BBC Learning have commissioned an inspiring children’s show about films and filmmaking called Movie Maniacs. Many of these programmes will be made in co-operation with other art organisations.

As everyone faces the challenge of delivering more in a tight economic climate, it is vital that we work together in new ways. I remember the impact that the iconic BBC series Civilisation had on me when I was a teenager. It set me on the road to a lifelong passion for the arts.

I want more people to be able to make this journey, which is why not only are we making a new series of Civilisation for the digital age, we will also be making new arts programmes for people of all ages and all backgrounds across TV, radio and online.

Some suggest that the arts are for an elite. That is nonsense. The arts are for everyone. It is one of the best things about our nation. Let us enjoy them together.

Tony Hall is Director-General, BBC

This article also appeared in the Sunday Express on 30 March.

• Read BBC Head of Arts Jonty Claypole's blog explaining how the BBC will provide more arts coverage
• Read more posts from Tony Hall
  

BBC Three is changing. In the future it will no longer be a broadcast channel, but it will have an exciting future online. The channel that brought you Gavin and Stacey, Little Britain, Bad Education and, right now, Bluestone 42, will still create great shows, but they will now be shown first on the BBC iPlayer. The best of BBC Three will also be shown on BBC One and BBC Two – that is a fantastic opportunity for these programmes to reach a wider audience.

So why have we done this? We all face tough economic times. Families are feeling the squeeze, and so is the BBC. So just as many people are facing tough choices about how they spend their money, we are too.

The BBC can’t keep doing the same thing with less money. Moving BBC Three online will save over £50 million a year. But we will use £30 million of that money to invest in drama on BBC One. Without that money, the BBC would not be able to keep delivering the great shows people already love – like Sherlock, Doctor Who and Atlantis – or invent the new ones that the public will fall in love with tomorrow. We use the space that BBC Three is broadcasting on for a new BBC One +1 service and to extend CBBC by an hour a night. And the BBC Three of tomorrow will still have millions to spend on new shows and content.

I’m backing our creative staff, and the young British talent this nation is full of, to keep on delivering great shows, not just today, but tomorrow.

Tony Hall is Director-General, BBC

This article first appeared in the Daily Mirror on Friday 7 March.

• Read extracts from Tony Hall's email to staff announcing changes to BBC Three
• Read executive producer Hilary Salmon's blog about the new online drama shorts released on BBC iPlayer next week

Below are extracts of an email sent to staff earlier today by the BBC Director-General, explaining in detail proposals to close BBC Three as a broadcast TV channel in 2015. The email is printed in full on the Media Centre website.

"...the organisation has had to look for savings - so that we, like everyone else in these difficult economic times, can live within our means. My concern - along with that of everybody I meet inside and outside the BBC - is to ensure that the quality of what we do is not compromised along the way. We are here to produce exceptional and distinctive programmes and services for Britain and the world. But I do believe, as I said only last week, that the BBC has taken incremental change as far as it can. Something has to give."

"...the BBC is, by its nature and history, an organisation that constantly reinvents itself, an organisation that takes the idea of public service broadcasting - to inform, educate and entertain - and makes it relevant for each generation...I believe the iPlayer is a key part of the future for public service broadcasting. It's the gateway for people who increasingly want to watch and listen to what they want, when they want it - on tablets, on mobiles as well as other screens. I am sure that this is going to be increasingly important for our younger audiences. And reaching those audiences is vital for the BBC."

"Reconciling these two aims - financial and strategic - has led us to this difficult conclusion. We should close BBC Three as a broadcast or linear channel and ask Danny [Cohen] and his team to reinvent it as a channel online and on the iPlayer. We propose making this change in the autumn of next year. I believe it’s the right thing to do: young audiences – the BBC Three audience – are the most mobile and ready to move to an online world."

"We recognise that, for now, most of this audience still do their viewing on television, and that is why we plan to show BBC Three’s long-form content on either BBC One or BBC Two."

"This is the first time in the BBC's history that we are proposing to close a television channel. I can’t rule out it being the last change to our programmes or services. It will save the BBC over £50 million a year. £30 million of that will go into drama on BBC One. And it also means we will extend Children's programmes by an hour a night and provide a BBC One +1 channel. I must stress - all of this is what we are proposing to the BBC Trust. They will have the final say."

Read the full press release at the Media Centre website

• Watch Tony Hall interviewed by BBC News Media Correspondent David Sillito
• Watch David Sillito's summary of the decision to move BBC Three online-only
• Listen to Director of BBC Television Danny Cohen in an interview with Richard Bacon on Five Live
• Follow @BBCThree on Twitter

A look at the diverse range of the BBC’s content and services.

Earlier on today, Director-General Tony Hall shared his vision for a future BBC in a speech given to staff and journalists in the BBC Radio Theatre in London. The speech was broadcast live on the BBC's staff TV network - the 'Ringmain'.

During the speech Tony made a number of announcements which formed part of his future strategy for the organisation including the launch of BBC One + 1, Playlister, the next generation iPlayer and a new way for audiences to access speech content from across the BBC's radio networks. There were additional announcements made about Radio 1 on iPlayer and a new investment in arts TV programming.

You can watch the entire speech on-demand via the BBC Media Centre where we've also published a transcript.

Also today, we've launched an opportunity for you to participate in a UK-wide conversation to help shape the future of the BBC. A registration form for future updates can be found on the BBC Where Next website, along with links to the main elements of Tony's speech.

Jon Jacob is Editor of the About the BBC Website and Blog.

• To keep up to date follow @BBCWhereNext on Twitter.
• A summary of the speech and the media follow up is available to view on About the BBC's Storify site.