TV 'plays safe with soaps and neglects innovation'

Bored TV viewers have long complained that there is nothing new on the box. Now research by one of Britain's most senior media executives has confirmed the extent to which broadcasters rely on tried and tested series, such as EastEnders and The Bill, instead of devising original shows.

David Bergg, ITV's director of programme strategy, said all channels were showing programmes that they were sure would be hits rather than investing in diversity and ground-breaking formats. Research he has compiled from official Broadcasters Audience Research Board (Barb) figures shows soap operas and shows devoted to home improvements, gardening and leisure have grown at the expense of current affairs and the arts since 1993.

The number of original programmes has fallen on all channels, although BBC2 was the worst offender, with a greater number of long-running shows such as Robot Wars and The Simpsons than in the past.

The number of "unique" shows had fallen by 40 per cent on BBC2 between 1993 and 2002, Mr Bergg's research indicated. But the channel still had a wider range of programmes than nearly all its rivals. The number of original shows on BBC1 was down by 10 per cent, at ITV1 by 15 per cent and at Channel 4 by 26 per cent. Only Channel 5, now called Five, had increased the range of its programming.

Yet Lorraine Heggessey, controller of BBC1, and Mark Thompson, chief executive of Channel 4, have emphasised their commitment to innovation and risk-taking.

Speaking at a conference on public service broadcasting organised by the Institute for Public Policy Research, Mr Bergg said: "We've seen an increase in the number of people saying they'd take risks while at the same time taking fewer risks. We're all playing it safe. We're maximising the things that work."

He echoed concerns previously raised by broadcasters such as David Liddiment, formerly ITV's director of channels, claiming that more aggressive scheduling from the BBC was forcing other broadcasters to play safe.

"The people who run the channels pretty much know what each other's schedules are and know when there are weak spots in terms of public service broadcasts," Mr Bergg said.

In peak-time television, there has been a 133 per cent increase in shows devoted to hobbies and leisure and a 125 per cent increase in soaps since 1992. The consequence was a 52 per cent decline in arts programmes, a similar fall in classical music and a 35 per cent decline in current affairs. Religious broadcasts were cut by nearly 75 per cent.

In the schedules as a whole, there was a 9 per cent fall in current affairs, a 40 per cent drop in arts shows and a 62 per cent drop in classical music.

A BBC spokesman said the figures examined quantity without addressing quality. "Does David Bergg really suggest that The Office should not have returned for a second series simply because it was a known quantity? We think the viewers might have something to say about that.

"Of course all broadcasters should take more risks but heavy-handed research like this does not help us achieve that."

Tim Gardam, director of programmes for Channel 4, told the Oxford convention that the way television was funded would influence diversity."You cannot encourage diversity and range if you do not have the ability to fund such ambition in the new multiplatform market of the digital world," he said.