B.B.C. Seen To Be In TV Trouble

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30724, 13 April 1965, Page 17

B.B.C. Seen To Be In TV Trouble

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright? LONDON, April 12. The British Broadcasting Corporation is facing its worst troubles since it opened the world’s first national television service in 1936, the Associated Press reported.

It faces a £5 million deficit this year, an internal power struggle and criticism of its satire programmes. Known as “auntie” in less inventive days, the 8.8. C. has surprised its viewers in recent times with controversial programmes. Its “That Was The Week That Was” (TW3) was dropped after criticism, and now its successor, “Not So Much a Programme, More a

Way of Life” has followed suit-

The power struggle has centred on Donald Baverstock, 41-year-old Welsh man, who, as chief of the 8.8.C.’s TV Channel 1, helped usher in a batch of hardhitting documentary and controversial shows. In February Huw Wheldon. aged 48, was moved above Baverstock to become controller of TV programmes. The 8.8. C. director-general. Sir Hugh Greene, aged 54, denied that Mr Baverstock was being squeezed out. claiming he wanted him jo take charge of the 8.8. C. 12-month-old second TV channel. Finally, Mr Baverstock resigned and took with him another brilliant young 8.8. C. executive, Alastair Milne, aged 34.

The nine independent governors of the 8.8. - who rule on policy matters are known to have questioned the wilder moments of “TW3." The governing nine consist of an educationalist, a dean’s wife, a publisher, a woman trade unionist, a financial executive, and four former public servants. The “TW3” successor was attacked when one of its items was a satirical sketch on the Roman Catholic attitude to birth control. An attack on Sir Alec Douglas-Home, in which a guest panelist called him a “cretin” and a skit on the Duke of Windsor within hours of the death of his sister, the Princess Royal, finally doomed the show this month.