Post by Teddy Bear on Nov 30, 2014 13:18:15 GMT
This story shows several elements about the BBC mindset.
First is that they commissioned this drama to be made regardless of whether it might be controversial and likely to offend or anger viewers.
This shows that this element does not feature in their initial thinking about whether a programme is suitable or not.
Second that after realising that it would be scheduled to be shown around the time when the licence fee review was about to take place, they decided to postpone or drop this drama to avoid any outcry affecting it.
It shows their charter and its purpose has little or nothing to do with what the BBC feature, just where they think it might affect them getting their money.
The cart is before the horse!
First is that they commissioned this drama to be made regardless of whether it might be controversial and likely to offend or anger viewers.
This shows that this element does not feature in their initial thinking about whether a programme is suitable or not.
Second that after realising that it would be scheduled to be shown around the time when the licence fee review was about to take place, they decided to postpone or drop this drama to avoid any outcry affecting it.
It shows their charter and its purpose has little or nothing to do with what the BBC feature, just where they think it might affect them getting their money.
The cart is before the horse!
BBC drops controversial plans for drama based on kidnap of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews 'amid fears it could scupper licence fee deal because of public anger'
By Emma Glanfield for MailOnline
Controversial plans for a BBC drama based on the kidnapping of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews have reportedly been shelved amid fears the show could scupper the corporation's crucial licence fee negotiations.
The TV drama, which was set to star Sheridan Smith as Shannon's mother Karen, was due to air towards the end of next year or in early 2016 – when the BBC's licence fee renewal will be up for debate with the Government.
However, production has now reportedly been halted amid concerns it could provoke public anger and jeopardise the corporation's deal.
The show was set to be based on the kidnapping of Shannon, who was just nine-years-old when she disappeared from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, in February 2008.
Her disappearance sparked a £3.2million police hunt and her mother appeared before the media pretending to be distraught as hundreds of local people helped in the search.
However, Shannon was found 24 days later by police, hidden in a compartment under a divan bed in a flat one mile from where she lived with her mother.
She had been drugged and tethered under the bed by her mother and accomplice Michael Donovan, then 40, as part of a desperate plot to claim £50,000 in reward money.
They had planned to release the schoolgirl at Dewsbury Market, drive around the corner to 'discover her' then take her to a police station and claim the reward before splitting it 50/50.
However, the pair's horrific crime was discovered by police and Matthews, a mother of seven, and Donovan were jailed for eight years for kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
They have both since been released from prison after serving half their sentence and Karen, 38, has undergone a drastic change in appearance, by cutting off her long, red hair and losing a considerable amount of weight, as part of attempts to live under a new identity.
Initial plans for the BBC drama sparked outcry earlier this year with Simon Reevell, the Conservative MP for Dewsbury, describing it as 'inappropriate'.
At the time, he said: 'I don't think it is a very good topic or use of BBC money. I don't see how it is helpful for the victim to have this dragged across the screen for entertainment.'
And Rev Canon Kevin Partington of Dewsbury Minster said: 'I can't see the point of it – the whole community has moved on.'
Plans for the show first emerged in the summer when writer Jeff Pope suggested award-winning actress Sheridan Smith, who recently appeared in ITV drama Cilla, was set to play the lead role.
Speaking at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival in August, Mr Pope said the project would be 'extremely complex' and said 'it's very early stages' before confirming Smith's involvement.
However, the show – which was going to be made for the BBC and created by ITV Studios, where Mr Pope is head of factual drama – has now apparently been shelved ahead of the BBC's crucial licence fee negotiations.
According to The Sunday People, a source said: 'A lot of work had already gone into this drama and if all had gone according to plan it would have been out at the end of next year or early 2016 – but suddenly everything stopped.
'The explanation was the powers-that-be at the BBC said the potential fallout ahead of the charter renewal and licence fee negotiations was too high a price to pay for the drama so it's been mothballed.'
It comes amid suggestions the BBC's TV licence fee could be scrapped and replaced with subscriptions in the biggest shake-up since the corporation was founded in 1922.
Some members of the Cabinet are understood to believe the compulsory £145.50 annual charge for television ownership is increasingly outdated.
Senior industry figures also believe a fundamental rethink is required in a multi-channel age with more and more viewers using computers and mobile phones to watch programmes on internet catch-up services.
The BBC's royal charter, which sets out the corporation's scope and remit, and funding arrangement – both ten-year agreements – is up for renewal at the end of 2016.
One possibility suggested to change the way the licence fee is handled is a subscription model, whereby viewers who want BBC services purchase a 'bundle' of channels, or even individual programmes or series.
Subscriptions could replace some or all of the compulsory licence fee – breaking the link between owning a TV set and the licence fee.
An alternative model, being used in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, would see a payment for the national broadcaster simply rolled into household taxes.
Like other areas of public spending it would be subject to cuts in times of austerity.
The Government has already announced a review of whether non-payment of the licence fee should be decriminalised.
Ministers say it cannot be right that 200,000 people a year end up in court accused of not buying a TV licence.
They currently face fines of up to £1,000 and a criminal record, with more than 50 a year going to prison.
One possibility being touted is for new technology to be used to cut off BBC channels for those who have not paid. However, the BBC has previously said it would cost in the region of half a billion pounds to implement.
Decriminalising non-payment for a licence would pave the way for more fundamental reform in the charter review, which will begin in earnest after the election.
MailOnline has contacted BBC representatives for comment.
- BBC drama was set to star actress Sheridan Smith as Karen Matthews
- Matthews was jailed for eight years for kidnapping her daughter Shannon
- She faked schoolgirl's disappearance as part of plot to gain £50,000 reward
- Accomplice Michael Donovan was also jailed for his part in the 2008 crime
- TV drama now scrapped 'amid concerns it could scupper licence fee plans'
- BBC Royal Charter up for renewal in 2016, potentially sparking fee change
By Emma Glanfield for MailOnline
Controversial plans for a BBC drama based on the kidnapping of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews have reportedly been shelved amid fears the show could scupper the corporation's crucial licence fee negotiations.
The TV drama, which was set to star Sheridan Smith as Shannon's mother Karen, was due to air towards the end of next year or in early 2016 – when the BBC's licence fee renewal will be up for debate with the Government.
However, production has now reportedly been halted amid concerns it could provoke public anger and jeopardise the corporation's deal.
The show was set to be based on the kidnapping of Shannon, who was just nine-years-old when she disappeared from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, in February 2008.
Her disappearance sparked a £3.2million police hunt and her mother appeared before the media pretending to be distraught as hundreds of local people helped in the search.
However, Shannon was found 24 days later by police, hidden in a compartment under a divan bed in a flat one mile from where she lived with her mother.
She had been drugged and tethered under the bed by her mother and accomplice Michael Donovan, then 40, as part of a desperate plot to claim £50,000 in reward money.
They had planned to release the schoolgirl at Dewsbury Market, drive around the corner to 'discover her' then take her to a police station and claim the reward before splitting it 50/50.
However, the pair's horrific crime was discovered by police and Matthews, a mother of seven, and Donovan were jailed for eight years for kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
They have both since been released from prison after serving half their sentence and Karen, 38, has undergone a drastic change in appearance, by cutting off her long, red hair and losing a considerable amount of weight, as part of attempts to live under a new identity.
Initial plans for the BBC drama sparked outcry earlier this year with Simon Reevell, the Conservative MP for Dewsbury, describing it as 'inappropriate'.
At the time, he said: 'I don't think it is a very good topic or use of BBC money. I don't see how it is helpful for the victim to have this dragged across the screen for entertainment.'
And Rev Canon Kevin Partington of Dewsbury Minster said: 'I can't see the point of it – the whole community has moved on.'
Plans for the show first emerged in the summer when writer Jeff Pope suggested award-winning actress Sheridan Smith, who recently appeared in ITV drama Cilla, was set to play the lead role.
Speaking at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival in August, Mr Pope said the project would be 'extremely complex' and said 'it's very early stages' before confirming Smith's involvement.
However, the show – which was going to be made for the BBC and created by ITV Studios, where Mr Pope is head of factual drama – has now apparently been shelved ahead of the BBC's crucial licence fee negotiations.
According to The Sunday People, a source said: 'A lot of work had already gone into this drama and if all had gone according to plan it would have been out at the end of next year or early 2016 – but suddenly everything stopped.
'The explanation was the powers-that-be at the BBC said the potential fallout ahead of the charter renewal and licence fee negotiations was too high a price to pay for the drama so it's been mothballed.'
It comes amid suggestions the BBC's TV licence fee could be scrapped and replaced with subscriptions in the biggest shake-up since the corporation was founded in 1922.
Some members of the Cabinet are understood to believe the compulsory £145.50 annual charge for television ownership is increasingly outdated.
Senior industry figures also believe a fundamental rethink is required in a multi-channel age with more and more viewers using computers and mobile phones to watch programmes on internet catch-up services.
The BBC's royal charter, which sets out the corporation's scope and remit, and funding arrangement – both ten-year agreements – is up for renewal at the end of 2016.
One possibility suggested to change the way the licence fee is handled is a subscription model, whereby viewers who want BBC services purchase a 'bundle' of channels, or even individual programmes or series.
Subscriptions could replace some or all of the compulsory licence fee – breaking the link between owning a TV set and the licence fee.
An alternative model, being used in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, would see a payment for the national broadcaster simply rolled into household taxes.
Like other areas of public spending it would be subject to cuts in times of austerity.
The Government has already announced a review of whether non-payment of the licence fee should be decriminalised.
Ministers say it cannot be right that 200,000 people a year end up in court accused of not buying a TV licence.
They currently face fines of up to £1,000 and a criminal record, with more than 50 a year going to prison.
One possibility being touted is for new technology to be used to cut off BBC channels for those who have not paid. However, the BBC has previously said it would cost in the region of half a billion pounds to implement.
Decriminalising non-payment for a licence would pave the way for more fundamental reform in the charter review, which will begin in earnest after the election.
MailOnline has contacted BBC representatives for comment.