أغر؟´«أ½

The أغر؟´«أ½'s Statements of Programme Policy (SoPPs) for 2010/2011 are published today .

These statements outline the commitments and editorial priorities across أغر؟´«أ½ services for the year ahead and explain how each service will deliver the requirements of their Service Licence and Purpose Remit.

Following the أغر؟´«أ½'s publication of its strategy review Putting Quality First, five clear content priorities have been identified which the أغر؟´«أ½ will strive to deliver to its audiences: the best journalism in the world; inspiring knowledge, culture and music; ambitious UK drama and comedy; outstanding children's content; and events that bring communities and the nation together.

The publication of the statements demonstrate the أغر؟´«أ½'s ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all of its services.

The أغر؟´«أ½ will continue its role in providing the best journalism in the world.

• أغر؟´«أ½ One will provide first-class news and current affairs coverage with flagship programmes such as أغر؟´«أ½ News At Ten, Question Time and Panorama. We will also continue our commitment to outstanding national and regional news output.
• أغر؟´«أ½ Two's schedule will reflect its strong international remit with Secret Iraq, which sets out to provide an authoritative account of what happened following the 2003 invasion. Andrew Marr will explore the legacy of John F Kennedy in JFK: The Making of Modern Politics and This World will continue to tell compelling international current affairs stories.
• أغر؟´«أ½ local radio and regional television will continue to reflect the richness and diversity of England's regions. In particular we will focus on high quality and distinctive local journalism, briefing and informing communities.

The أغر؟´«أ½ will retain its focus on ambitious UK drama and comedy programmes with fresh new ideas remaining a hallmark of أغر؟´«أ½'s output.

• أغر؟´«أ½ One will continue to deliver distinct, unique drama productions, including The Deep, a thriller set on a submarine; Outcasts, a ground-breaking epic new series from the team behind Spooks; and The Silence, a four part serial about a deaf girl who witnesses a murder. The channel is also looking to build on the recent success of Outnumbered and further revitalise its comedy output with new shows such as Mrs Brown's Boys, Matt Lucas and David Walliams' new series and two new comedy drama series, soon to be announced.
• أغر؟´«أ½ Two will increase its hours of original drama reflecting its commitment to establishing the genre on the channel.
• On Radio 4, next January will see the The Archers turn 60, with a thrilling storyline under close wraps that will shake Ambridge to the core.
• أغر؟´«أ½ Three will deliver ground-breaking humour to its audiences with new formats such as the The King Is Dead, a unique show that combines character comedy with a panel show, a chat show and a spoof job interview.

Programming that inspires knowledge, culture and music will be further enhanced across أغر؟´«أ½ services in the year ahead.

• The أغر؟´«أ½'s focus on opera, Opera On The أغر؟´«أ½ sees Gareth Malone attempt to produce and direct an opera in Gareth Does Glyndebourne on أغر؟´«أ½ Two while Opera Italia on أغر؟´«أ½ Four explores Italian opera's fascinating history. Radio 3 continues to be the home of opera on the أغر؟´«أ½ by extending its opera output throughout the year.
• In religious programming, a major new drama event about the Nativity has been commissioned to be stripped across the schedule at the end of the year.
• On أغر؟´«أ½ Two, Silence In The City (working title) discovers whether being in a place of silence can bring about personal and spiritual awakening and Melvyn Bragg will explore the extraordinary impact on Britain of the King James Bible.
• Due to the outstanding success of the Adult Season in summer 2009, أغر؟´«أ½ Three will revisit this theme, bringing together a series of informative programmes that explore the transition from child to adult and questioning what it means to grow up.
• Radio 1 continues its significant commitment to playing 45% of new music in daytime. Last year the network exceeded its target and brought through new acts from specialist to daytime including Ellie Goulding, Marina & The Diamonds, Stornoway and Delphic.
• Radio 1Xtra continues to be a groundbreaking station for new, black music in the UK and will play 60% of new music in daytime. In the last year Radio 1Xtra has supported new artists including Tinie Tempah, McLean and Giggs.
• Radio 2 will continue to present a distinctive, unique range of timeless, melodic music, providing its audience with a rich offering, ranging from folk to danceband, blues to organ music.
• Radio 3 will also create a special day of live broadcasting, the أغر؟´«أ½'s Big Concert, celebrating the work of the أغر؟´«أ½'s six performing groups.
• Radio 4 will contribute to the أغر؟´«أ½-wide 2010 celebration of science, with programmes including The Infinite Monkey Cage and So You Want To Be A Scientist?

Sport and Event programming will play a central part across the أغر؟´«أ½ this year.

• In addition to the usual sporting calendar with highlights including Wimbledon, Formula 1 and the Commonwealth Games, أغر؟´«أ½ One and Radio 5 Live will also follow the World Cup story from South Africa, bringing the nation together over the agony and excitement of the matches this summer.
• The autumn will bring a new-look Children In Need event, getting communities involved in fund raising from all corners of the UK.

The أغر؟´«أ½ will continue its commitment to outstanding children's content with highlights including:

• The factual line-up for the year ahead will include inspirational programmes such as This Kid Can Change The World (working title) and Newsround specials.
• There will be programmes to stimulate and engage our younger audiences, such as the new series Zingzillas which uses music to stimulate children's creativity and fire their imagination.
• Through their links with Spooks and Doctor Who respectively, both MI High and The Sarah Jane Adventures will strengthen the connection between Cأغر؟´«أ½ and أغر؟´«أ½ One drama while bolstering our commitment to quality programming for 6–12 year olds.

أغر؟´«أ½ Online will continue to provide world-class content and services to users in the UK and across the world.

• As it becomes more focused, أغر؟´«أ½ Online will gain a renewed emphasis on the أغر؟´«أ½'s editorial priorities, which will result in the closure and consolidation of some parts of أغر؟´«أ½ Online.
• We will redesign a number of significant sites in 2010, including news, sport, comedy, food and Cأغر؟´«أ½. These will be part of site-wide improvements to the design and shape of أغر؟´«أ½ Online, intended to deliver a more satisfying and consistent experience to all our users, whichever part of the site they are on.
• The hugely successful أغر؟´«أ½ iPlayer will enrich users' interaction with our content. We will continue to make the core أغر؟´«أ½ iPlayer available on a wider range of platforms and devices. It will become more open, increasing the number of external links and traffic flowing through them.

Notes to Editors

The أغر؟´«أ½'s Statements of Programme Policy 2010/11 are published on the About the أغر؟´«أ½ website.

Under the Communications Act 2003, each public service broadcaster must produce an annual statement identifying its commitments for delivering its public service remit in the year ahead. This is the eighth set of أغر؟´«أ½ statements.

The terms under which the أغر؟´«أ½ is required to produce statements for its public services are covered in the Agreement with the Secretary of State presented to Parliament in July 2006.

The regulatory programming quotas placed on the أغر؟´«أ½, which are monitored by Ofcom, are in addition to SoPPs commitments. These are measured by Ofcom on a calendar year basis and compliance reported by the external regulator.

The أغر؟´«أ½ Trust will monitor the أغر؟´«أ½'s performance against these statements. The أغر؟´«أ½ will report against the statements made today and will publish their findings in the Annual Report and Accounts 2010/2011, scheduled for publication in July 2011.

The أغر؟´«أ½'s accounting year runs from 1 April to 31 March.

أغر؟´«أ½ Press Office