Channel 4

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Wednesday 29th March 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ashton of Hyde]

My Lords, I agree that public service broadcasting has benefited this country. When we see that Channel 4’s remit states that it is required to produce:

“High-quality and distinctive programming … innovation, experimentation and creativity”,


and provide,

“alternative views and new perspectives”.

in order to:

“Appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society”,


we can see why that is the case.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, taking the Minister back to the question asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Bonham-Carter, does he not take the point that Channel 4’s headquarters is a publishing house—it does the commissioning, not the producing—and that to move that particular unit out of town would be very expensive and have no particular benefit to the region to which it went? The important thing, if there is gain to be made, is to concentrate on the production facilities being spread more evenly around the country and programmes being produced there.

[Lord Ashton of Hyde]

I absolutely take that point. In terms of expense, of course, having a big headquarters in London has a value all of its own—although that is not the point. That is why we are consulting on exactly these issues.