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1. Q4A: BBC1 & Mrs Brown’s Boys
L/O: to understand the background
of BBC1 and the scheduling details of
MBB

2. Starter
• What is difference between channel 4 and
BBC?

3. BBC details (institutional context)
 The BBC is a Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) – it is supposed to
provide a service to the public and should offer something for
everyone. This makes it very different to a broadcaster like ITV.
 The BBC is funded by the Licence Fee, which everyone has to pay if
they own a television.
 Channel 4?
 BBC1 is the BBC’s flagship channel – it’s main channel with the
highest number of viewers and most high profile programmes.

4. BBC Ethos
• The BBC is still guided by the principals of its
first director general, Lord Reith, who said that
the BBC should:
‘inform, educate and entertain’.
• Channel 4?

5. BBC REMIT
• The BBC is monitored by a group called the
BBC Trust.
• They oversee the work of the BBC and hold it
to account.
• The BBC Trust require the BBC to ‘provide
high quality entertainment’.
• Channel 4?

6. BBC Target audience
• The BBC has different channels (sister
channels) which show programmes aimed at
slightly different demographics.
• BBC1 is generally aiming for a mainstream,
demographically broad audience.
• Channel 4?

7. Mrs Brown’s Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ4sxwSuip4

8.  Series 3 – BBC1, Monday night, 9.30pm.
 Previously….
 Series 1, Monday night, 10.35pm – reflects the fact that it’s
difficult to predict which comedies will be successful.
 Monday night at 10.35pm is a low profile slot in the schedule.
 As the programme grew in popularity it has moved to a more high
profile slot in the schedules, with series 3 scheduled during a
prime-time slot.
 The BBC actually did something very unusual with this series of
Mrs Brown’s Boys – showing each episode twice in the same week:
 On a Monday night
 and then on a Saturday night (at 9.30pm).
 This is a reflection of its huge popularity!

9.  BBC1 is a mainstream channel aiming for a demographically broad
mainstream audience – Mrs Brown’s Boys is an obvious,
mainstream comedy. It isn’t subtle but it is popular and it is
accessible to a mainstream audience – it has a wide appeal.
 The scheduling was successful as it was watched by 7 million
viewers which was a 26.3% audience share.
 The main competition was from ITV which broadcast a Crime
Drama at the same time – Lewis.
 Mrs Brown’s Boys is a different genre of show, aimed at a different
target audience.
 It was scheduled post-watershed as it has swearing and some adult
jokes in it.

10.  A common technique used by schedulers is to group programmes together by
genre to try to ensure that fans of that particular genre (or type) of programme
stay tuned in and don’t turn over. This is called ZONING.
 The BBC did this by broadcasting Miranda at 9.00pm which is also a sitcom and
then Mrs Brown’s Boys at 9.30pm.
 Both are sitcoms and the BBC would hope that fans of comedies would watch
one after the other.
 Therefore they would also hope that Mrs Brown’s Boys INHERITED the audience
from Miranda.

11. Example
response

12. Key terms checklist
• Public service broadcaster
• Institutional context
• Flagship channel
• Tv licence fee
• Mainstream comedy
• Mainstream audience
• Demographically broad
• High profile slot (or Prime time slot)
• Low profile slot
• wide appeal or popularity
• Audience share
• Post watershed
• Zoning
• Inherit audience or inherited audiences

13. Homework
Revise details for test tomorrow!
NOW WILL BE ON EVERYTHING TV SCHEDULING
Including BBC and Mrs Brown’s boys

14. BBC 1 Channel 4
Funding
Ethos
Remit
Target
audience

15. Introduction to the answer on
scheduling
• Why is that programme on that channel?
• Does it help them fulfil their REMIT?
• Does it fit in with their ETHOS?
• Will it attract their TARGET AUDIENCE?

16. The rest of the answer on scheduling
• Why is it on at that time of day and on that
particular day?

17. The rest of the answer on scheduling
• What scheduling techniques were used?
• Was it successful?
• What was it competing against?