Originally Posted by Chris

The really sad thing is, ITV, having been shown by the BBC that there is an audience for family fantasy drama on a Saturday evening, dipped its toe in the water with Primeval, which performed well for them for, IIRC, three years ... only for them to eventually can it, not because it was a flop, but because, no matter how good it was, Simon Cowell's plastic pop factory was always going to be more popular still. ITV, being a plc, always has to keep its sights firmly on the bottom line. Its decision was sad, but understandable.

That is why the BBC is now more important than ever. In a digital multi-channel age, where dozens of channels are compelled to scrap with each other to get the biggest possible audience for the lowest possible outlay, all we get is endless repeats of a few increasingly tarnished old favourites. Original programming consists of cheap soaps, safe, predictable police procedurals and the aforementioned Simon Cowell plus imitators.

The BBC, amongst a great many other things, is a guarantor of quality and variety.