BBC

UK Keynote: Tim Davie, Director-General of the BBC | RTS Cambridge Convention 2023

In conversation with Kate Bulkley, Tim Davie, the BBC Director-General, expands on the corporation’s digital future and its Value for All strategy as well as its approach to AI.

Chair

  • Kate Bulkley, Business Journalist

Speaker

  • Tim Davie CBE, Director-General, BBC

The session was part of the RTS Cambridge Convention 2023, with Principal Sponsor Channel 4. The convention took place on 20 - 21 September at King's College, Cambridge.

BBC iPlayer to feature over 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming

The Sixteen Doctors from BBC sci-fi hit Doctor Who, including the War Doctor and the Fugitive Doctor, stand in a line in front of a blue and pink backdrop

This means classic episodes of the sci-fi juggernaut will be available to watch ahead of the three 60th anniversary specials. Though exact broadcast dates are yet to be announced, the BBC confirmed they will air at some point next month.

Every episode of programming will boast multiple accessibility options, including subtitles, audio description and sign language.

BBC announces acquisition of French action drama Dark Hearts

Six people stand dressed in army camouflage

A release date is yet to be announced, but the BBC has said the six-part programme is “coming soon” to BBC Four and iPlayer.

The series concerns a French special forces unit on the precipice of the 2016 Battle of Mosul. With a terror threat hanging over their heads, the unit must kidnap the daughter and grandchildren of a prominent ISIS leader in hopes of extracting information from him. 

Ghosts’ final series will be followed by a surprise Christmas special

The creators teased on social media that “there might be one last present under the Christmas tree this year.”

In previous series, the Christmas specials have given more backstory for the ghosts, with audiences getting a glimpse at former politician Julian’s (Simon Farnaby) relationship with his daughter back in series two. Last year’s special saw Scout leader Pat (Jim Howick) receive home videos from the family he left behind. Additionally, in a particularly touching festive moment, renaissance poet Thomas (Mathew Baynton) listened to The Smiths for the very first time.

10 things you might not know about The Great British Bake Off

Each series sees twelve amateur bakers attempt to out-bake their opponents and impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, with encouragement (/harassment) from the presenters, now comedian Noel Fielding and queen of daytime Alison Hammond.

With one of the highest average audiences of any programme in the UK (in 2016, nine of the top ten most-watched programmes of the year were episodes of the show), Bake Off has become a Great British institution.

Trailer and release date announced for Ghosts' fifth and final series

In the last series, Alison and Mike, played by Charlotte Richie (Fresh Meat) and Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Taskmaster), dealt with unsuitable birthday parties, regretted buying ‘zorbing balls’ to spice up their B&B, and saw their gatehouse burn to the ground – all while having to manage their own personal gaggle of ghosts.

Meet Greg Jenner: The human embodiment of Horrible Histories’ Rattus Rattus

He didn’t set out to teach millions of children that Incans used urine as shampoo, or that Pythagoras died whilst evading a field of beans. Greg Jenner’s original plan was to go down the academic pipeline of PHD to Professor of History.

But a series of knock-on effects meant that he would have to find another route. After a trying time with his mental health, Jenner missed out on a double first as an undergrad, which meant that he had to take out a loan for his masters and left him unable to finance his PHD.

Ken Loach on the early days of his career, and future projects

Now 87, the director said he had completed his last feature, The Old Oak – the final film in a trilogy exploring themes of social justice and inequality, with I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You. 

RTS Southern Chair Steph Farmer talked to Loach about his early career, why he developed a passion for working with untrained actors and his relationship with writer Paul Laverty, which began on his 1996 film Carla’s Song.

Live Aid: four decades on

The benefit concert to raise money for the victims of famine in Ethiopia drew an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers worldwide.

Music promoter Harvey Goldsmith – who orchestrated Live Aid’s Wembley concert and, two decades later, the Live 8 benefit concerts – talked about his career with lawyer and broadcaster Andrew Eborn for an RTS London online event in July.