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Stephen Pollard

ByStephen Pollard, Stephen Pollard

Opinion

The BBC's lamentable coverage of Young Musician

May 10, 2008 24:00
1 min read

I've been catching up with my recordings of this week's broadcasts on BBC4 of the category finals for BBC Young Musician of the Year. The final takes place tonight, but isn't being shown until tomorrow night on BBC2.

I'd like to be able to write that the standard is, as ever, extremely high. I'm sure it will have been. But I can't tell you that for sure because this year's coverage is even more appalling than in 2006. Let's ignore the fact that it's been hidden away on BBC4, and take on board the BBC's defence - that BBC4 allows it to have far more time devoted to it (five one hour daily programmes: brass, woodwind, percussion, strings and piano).

I actually think this is nonsense, because the whole point of BBC2 - indeed of publicly funded TV - is to provide this sort of programme and to make it widely accessible. If ever a programme was designed for BBC2, this surely is it. But lets accept the BBC's decision. Even on its own terms, the coverage has been abysmal.