BBC Factual Controller: “No Subject Should Be Taboo”

BBC Factual Controller Alison Kirkham has revealed more than 35 hours of new commissions across history, science, religion, documentaries and factual entertainment.

“Just a few years ago, many within the industry were predicting the demise of factual in a multi-channel, multi-choice world,” Kirkham said. “In fact, the opposite has proven to be true. Today audiences are rewarding the best factual TV as emphatically as ever. Leading this department, my ambition is for us to share more untold and extraordinary stories. It’s a theme that came through in many of our BAFTA-winning programs and we’ll continue to give a voice to those who would otherwise not be heard.

“We are living in a period of seismic change when it feels harder than ever to get to grips with what is happening around us. In an era of false facts and fake news, it is the role of a proudly independent BBC to respond by offering a trusted lens through which to view and understand the world. Ours is a unique mission—to inform, educate and entertain—and BBC Factual is uniquely placed to do just that.”

Coming to BBC One, Earth From Space explores the natural world from 400 kilometers above. Diana (working title) is a landmark 90-minute doc that tells the inside story of the week that followed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Makeover Show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, will see a range of people from all over the U.K. receive the ultimate makeover. The three-part Miriam’s Great American Adventure follows as Miriam Margolyes embarks on an epic trip through the heart of Middle America. Also, the travel documentary The Real Marigold Hotel will be returning to BBC One for a new four-part series in 2018.

BBC Two has lined up Britain’s Greatest Invention, a 90-minute special; Nigella: At My Table, in which Nigella Lawson shares the food she cooks for family and friends; the topical special Abortion: What Britain Really Thinks, presented by Anne Robinson; and Chris Packham: Me And My Asperger’s. Also coming soon to the network are the six-part religion series A Vicar’s Life and the two-part documentary series Addicted Parents: Last Chance To Keep My Children, along with Who Should We Let In? Ian Hislop On The First Great Immigration Row.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India, a major season of programs has been planned across BBC One and BBC Two, presented by Anita Rani, Gurinder Chadha, Adnan Sarwar and Babita Sharma. BBC One has slated My Family, Partition And Me: India 1947. BBC Two will air India’s Partition: The Forgotten Story, World’s Most Dangerous Border and One Week In Summer.

Murdered For Being Different has been slated for BBC Three, while Fizz Bang Wallop: A Tudor Firework Spectacular will run on BBC Four.

Kirkham outlined a series of promises that would define BBC Factual in the future and made a number of new announcements to support those plans: “My vision in the years ahead is to offer the variety, breadth and unrivalled commitment to quality that has always been our trademark but also to engage with audiences more than ever, on their own terms, on what matters most to them today. No subject should be taboo. We can’t and won’t shy away from ambitious, complicated programs.

“Count on us to provide a place for difficult issues and joyous passions to sit beside each other; to embrace complexity and authorship, and to take creative risks and back specialism. From history to science, religion to natural history, specialisms have always been a fundamental part of the story of BBC Factual and will continue to thrive on the BBC.

“Today we are announcing a range of new commissions that illustrate the way forward. There are programs that open our eyes to the world, that show us what has never been seen and take us to places we have never been—and that entertain and inspire us. But there are also commissions that interrogate some of the big issues facing our society today—programs which will be bold enough to ask challenging questions, spark tough debate and target real change.”