Arts commissioning

BBC Arts makes programmes about the culture and creativity that give meaning and pleasure to our lives. We make shows for everyone - from committed arts lovers, to the culturally curious, to people who might not feel ‘the arts’ is for them, but who nonetheless still love books, gigs and movies. At the heart of everything we make is richness and delight, detail and expertise and all our commissions are united by an ambition to tell cultural stories in an innovative way.

Together with you, we want to make arts programmes that create major impact and set the global standard. We’ll offer you our expert guidance and support from the first development meeting through to TX and after, leveraging the power of the whole BBC portfolio of services to maximise the reach of your shows - whether it’s working with radio networks, News, online, press or social teams. BBC Arts are experts in the power of partnerships, and we work with more than 150 of the UK’s leading creative organisations, as well as co-production partners including PBS and Fremantle and BBC commissioning teams in the nations and English regions to ensure our commissions have real impact.

Our approach

In a crowded, on-demand landscape, BBC Arts shows need to be must-watch. So we want to see something special or new in your idea from the first development meeting.

What we’re really after is strong narratives and confident editorial takes with a stylistic tone or approach that makes for essential viewing.

We don’t want surveys, anthologies or broad overviews and just having access or a ‘territory’ won’t be enough. Our stories need to connect with viewers emotionally and intellectually, whether it’s a strong narrative about one person, compelling past-tense tales or stories unfolding in real time.

Definitive and innovative

We want to champion innovative storytelling that excites audiences. BBC Arts already has a rich back catalogue of definitive single films and boxsets on subjects ranging from Shakespeare, Picasso and Mozart to Jane Austen and Frida Kahlo. Now we are after the next generation of premium documentary series – whether it’s delivering a single, high-concept conceit, pushing new frontiers of shooting and editing or delivering a really compulsive narrative arc, we want stories that leap out of the listings and become must-watch TV.

Clear proposition

In a world of almost infinite choice, clarity of proposition is the only way to grab people’s attention in the schedules and on iPlayer. Really think about what that one-line sell is. LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes revealed the artist as never before, with a five star, acclaimed lip-syncing performance from Sir Ian McKellen. The witty and irreverent take of Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry: Inside the Museum (co-commissioned with BBC History) brought unique access to one of the greatest treasures of the medieval world as it travelled to Britain for the first time in a thousand years. Civilisations: Rise and Fall featured four mighty ancient civilisations - Rome, Egypt, Japan's Samurai and the Aztecs – using priceless artefacts to reveal what led them to collapse. Big Night of Musicals by the National Lottery has become an annual institution that sees Jason Manford host a celebration of musical theatre, full of hits from the nation’s biggest shows. These are all very different projects in terms of scale and shape, but each has a clear topline that really cuts through to audiences.

Key talent

From on-screen to off-screen, we want to work with the best. Exciting, unusual and engaging on-screen voices with expertise can bring new audiences to our programmes, so think carefully about who is the best person to tell your story. Off-screen, we work with directors with an outstanding track record for premium factual TV who deliver fresh styles and tones and have a passion for arts and classical music. We want to work with producers who reflect the richness and diverse experience of audiences across the UK and to increase our focus on portrayal of nations and regions to showcase the cultural vibrancy of Britain today.

Our current focus

Currently, we are focusing on three key areas:

Premium reputational series

We are after ambitious premium series, with or without presenters. They can be two, three or four episodes long but must be designed to be bingeable on iPlayer, where a strong ‘north star’ central idea and a compelling narrative ensures audiences keep coming back.

They need a contemporary tone and approach, laser-like clarity and a definitive take on their subject. We need these pieces to really stand out on the iPlayer rails and have major impact on linear channels.

We are particularly interested in:

• historical subjects with contemporary resonance, linking our past with the present through artefacts, ideas or major cultural figures
• unprecedented access combined with an unmissable story or revelatory take on the subject

Popular mainstream series

We are always looking for new, potentially returning series that will win large audiences. Current projects range from Hidden Treasures of the National Trust and Fake or Fortune?, to Rob and Rylan’s cultural odysseys. In Extraordinary Portraits, Bill Bailey matches some of the UK’s leading contemporary artists with subjects whose lives have been defined by their own acts of heroism. All these shows have a surface layer of pleasure and fun but also deeper threads of identity, discovery and cultural excellence at their heart. We are especially interested in new, factual formats with real joy at their heart, which explore culture and creativity in locations across the UK with a strong sense of local identity, pride, craft and skill.

Live events

We are particularly interested in:

• using our expertise using our expertise such as the Olivier Awards, the Proms and Big Night of Musicals by the National Lottery to help you deliver major events which create shared, impactful cultural moments.
• these should aim to reach a significant audience through a combination of great on-screen talent, news lines and ‘talkability’, paired with deep expertise, passion and breath-taking skill.

Unscripted on iPlayer

Read about how we commission unscripted content in an iPlayer first-world, along with advice and further resources to maximise the impact of your programme on the platform.

Who to contact

We work with production companies across the UK. Some of our commissioners are based in the nations and English regions and have an additional remit to support local companies, as well as titles that feature strong portrayal of those areas on screen. These commissioners are identified below and, where relevant, producers are encouraged to approach them in the first instance. Send us ideas via PiCoS.

Mark Bell: first point of contact for singles across BBC One and Two and landmark series.

Alistair Pegg: first point of contact for boxsets, formats and limited series on BBC Two.

Stephen James-Yeoman: first point of contact for classical music ideas and Arts Digital.

David Harron: first point of contact for producers based in Scotland or for titles with strong portrayal of Scotland on-screen.

Julian Carey: first point of contact for producers based in Wales or for titles with strong portrayal of Wales on-screen.

Please note, pop music ideas should be pitched to the popular music commissioning team.