BBC Two - Programming

Programming

BBC Two’s remit is to be a mixed-genre channel appealing to a broad adult audience with programmes of depth and substance. It should carry the greatest amount and range of knowledge-building programming of any BBC television channel, complemented by distinctive comedy, drama and arts programming.

— BBC Two remit

BBC Two's remit historically was one screening programmes targeting the arts, culture, drama and some comedy, and appealing to audiences not already served by BBC1 or ITV. Over its first thirty or so years the channel developed a reputation for screening highly praised and prestigious drama series, amongst these Boys from the Blackstuff (1982) or 1996's, critically acclaimed Our Friends in the North. The channels "highbrow" profile is also in part attributable to a long history of demanding documentaries of all types, beginning with Civilisation and The Ascent of Man in the 1960s. Like the early Channel 4, BBC2 also established for itself a reputation as a champion of independent and international cinema, under the Screen 2 brand.

The channel has sometimes been judged, increasingly in more recent years, to have moved away from this original role and to have moved closer to the mainstream. Since the launch of the digital-only BBC Four, the BBC has been accused in particular of shifting its more highbrow output to the new channel, which a minority (7.5% in the final quarter of 2010) of viewers do not receive. BBC Four's remit is very similar to that of the earlier remit of BBC2, and contains a lot of documentaries and arts programming. It has been perceived by some that this strategy is to allow BBC Two to show more popular programmes and to secure higher ratings. Since 2004 there have been some signs of an attempt to return closer to parts of BBC Two's earlier output with the arts strand The Culture Show. Its most popular programme at the moment is Top Gear.

Currently, a lot of BBC Two's output have previously, or subsequently been shown on other channels. Some of these programmes are repeats of popular or flagship programmes from BBC Four in a late night strand, originally called BBC Four on Two but now unbranded, for the benefit of audiences without access to BBC Four. Other programmes are moved to the channel as a result of their success on BBC Three or Four, so that subsequent series are well received. An example of this is the BBC Three series Torchwood that was transferred to the channel following the success of the first series. BBC Two is also used as a testing ground for programmes prior to their moving to the flagship BBC One: such examples include Have I Got News for You.

Another founding part of BBC Two was to provide educational and community programming on the BBC, as part of its public service remit. The educational section of this commitment saw BBC2 broadcast a large amount of programming for the Open University, who co-produced programming with the corporation, and saw the channel broadcast BBC Schools programmes from 1983 until the programmes were transferred to the BBC Learning Zone in 2010.

As a result of the channel's commitment to community broadcasting, the channel produced the symbolic Open Space series, a strand developed in the early 1970s in which members of the public would be allotted half an hour of television time, and given a level of editorial and technical training in order to produce for themselves a film on an issue most important to them. BBC2's Community Programme Unit kept this aspect of the channel's tradition alive into the 1990s in the form of Video Diaries and later Video Nation. The Community Programmes Unit was disbanded in 2004.

BBC Two show in the morning, kid show from strands CBBC and CBeebies. First, 6am til 7am CBeebies block is shown (everyday), then at 7am til 8.30am CBBC block is shown (weekdays only), then at 8.30am til 11.30am, Followed by BBC World News and/or Daily Politics is shown, mainly Wednesdays) CBeebies block is shown again (only weekdays). However, on BBC Two Scotland, (originally shown on BBC One Scotland before CBBC til 2002) For the first half hour til 9am, They would show Gaelic Children's Programmes under the name CBeebies Alba. Then at 9am they would handover to CBeebies. On Saturdays, the CBBC block is shown from 7am til 12noon (at 11.40am a repeat of MOTD Kickabout is shown again from the repeat shown on the CBBC Channel at 7.40am that same day). On Sundays, the CBBC block is shown from 7am til 10am (except if special events are shown).

On weekday holidays at 11.30am movies are shown instead of shows for ex. Ready Steady Cook, The Pink Panther Show, Meerkat Manor or BBC World News. Mainly the movies are original or black and white, not modern movies like shown on BBC One or Three.

On Friday nights when Sports Relief or Comic Relief is shown, a 40 minute part is shown at 10pm while the BBC News at Ten is on BBC One, and the National Lottery is shown at 11.30pm ish.

Some BBC Two programming is simulcast or repeated in High definition on separate channel BBC HD.