Ex-BBC head of video: Make BBC relevant again

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Naturally I’ve read a lot of commentary about the BBC this week and last. When you work there for 25 years, there's a part of it that will always stay with you. Two things struck me.

My first thought is for journalists at all levels who do such an incredible job, day in, day out. They're producing editorial work to the highest standards, often in difficult circumstances. Yes, occasionally things go wrong – and they did with this Panorama edit – but there is a reason that the BBC remains the most trusted news source in the UK. The vast majority of the time standards don’t slip. And that integrity is maintained thanks to the hard work of the people inside the corporation. A crisis like this hits everyone hard. 

I was at the BBC on the last two occasions when a Director General was forced to resign - the aftermath of the Hutton Inquiry and then the Jimmy Savile and Lord McAlpine debacle.

I witnessed firsthand how an institutional crisis can be all consuming. The crisis becomes the only topic of conversation.

It's briefly energising – occasionally even stiffening resolve – who can forget Greg Dyke triumphant newsroom tour? But ultimately knocking confidence as the bureaucracy checks in. 'Never again' procedures devised. New management layers inserted. Slowing chipping away at the resolve. The ripples flow across the organisation. It can take years before the waters calm again. 

To journalists inside the BBC, keep up your good work. Your work is more valuable than ever. 

At times of crisis, it is the "critical friend" that offers the most interesting take. Which leads me to a second more existential point. 

In reaction to past crises, the tone from the commentators freed from the bounds of loyalty – former employees and even industry rivals — was broadly the same: the BBC got something wrong, it must do better.

This time feels different. Yes, those critics have plenty to say about what went wrong and how to fix it. But I’ve lost count of how often I’ve seen the phrase: you’ll miss it when it’s gone. Everyone understands what is at stake this time. The threat to the BBC is real. Brexit taught us not to be complacent. There are no certainties anymore.

But in a world without certainties, we’re entitled to know whether the BBC is asking itself the hard question: Are we working hard enough to ensure people will miss us when we’re gone? 

If this is in your feed, yes, you probably would be very disappointed to lose Amol Rajan grilling Wes Streeting on a Thursday morning. But could you honestly say that of all of your friends? Your neighbours? Your family? What role does the BBC play in their lives?

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Earlier this year, the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025 found that 46 per cent of UK news consumers admitted avoiding the news. 

Look at the political response to this crisis. The government response has been muted – it took five days for Lisa Nandy to appear on the Today programme, and offer praise for ‘'the shining light’' of the BBC. The Conservative Party has been openly hostile. A former Culture Secretary said the BBC only spoke for half the country. Politicians pride themselves on an ability to read their electorate. Not an exact science, but the calculation appears to be that there aren’t many votes in defending the BBC.

And that is far more frightening than any battle over impartiality.

One of my pet hates in journalism is the familiar headline about the once-great high-street brand shutting its doors. Headlines carry expressions of shock, we wheel out commentators to mourn its decline. But that’s never the real story.

The real story is that the public walked away long before. The outrage is faux. The public’s habits changed. Technology changed. The institution no longer had a place in their lives.

My worry is the BBC is drifting into the same territory. 

Ah, you say, but 11.1 million people watched the Traitors finale last week. 

And yes, I know the licence fee represents good value. So did Woolworths. 

So how do you fix this? Simply put the BBC needs to demonstrate its value in the everyday lives of people across the UK.

Impartiality matters profoundly. Audiences need — and deserve — accurate, factual journalism, with fair interpretations and proper analysis. Ultimately few would disagree with that.

But the deeper question is: is the BBC always on the same page as its audience? Is it really tackling the issues that matter to its audiences? Does it really understand that in our fragmented society different audiences look for different things. Do the metropolitan based editors always know best? 

(Last week we heard a BBC discourse that gets more excited about Westminster gossip, than the realities of a crumbling health service.)

What lessons can be learnt from the New York Times, which runs over 100 specialist newsletters targeting niche communities. Or the digital creator you have never heard of, building a niche audience on one topic or another.  

Struggling with how this plays to Reithian values of universality? BBC strategists could note how the corporation itself now runs over 25 nationally available digital radio stations. Each catering to different audiences, each rooted in BBC values. 

From pioneering vertical video, or launching the user needs model, the BBC has a long track record of digital innovation that is built on an understanding of where audiences are. But it was slow to TikTok and is tentative with creators.  

If the BBC wants to survive, it needs to work harder to convince the public that it still has that place in their lives. That is not a slick marketing campaign, as warm and as cuddly as they are. 

It means being on their level wherever they are, meeting audiences on the platforms they already use, in formats that work for them. It means understanding audience needs and interests and using those to drive our storytelling. It’s a fundamental shift. But making the BBC relevant, and giving it that role in people’s lives 

Jonathan Paterson is an editorial consultant working with clients navigating the digital landscape. He was BBC News Head of Video 2017-2021 and a visiting lecturer at City St Georges University