Shropshire Star

BBC not ‘gaming number’ on Scottish spending, says Davie amid Traitors questions

Director general Tim Davie said he has ‘nothing to excuse’ on the BBC’s Scottish production spending.

By contributor By Neil Pooran, PA Scotland Political Correspondent
Published
Claudia Winkleman in front of a castle
The Traitors, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, is set in a Scottish castle (Cody Burridge/BBC/Studio Lambert/PA)

The BBC’s director general has said the corporation is not trying to “game a number” on the amount of production spending in Scotland, as he was quizzed by MSPs about the hit show The Traitors.

Tim Davie said the BBC has a “great story” to tell in increasing its production spending north of the border, with 99.6% of Scottish licence fee income now spent in Scotland – up from 77% two years previously.

Only nine out of 66 productions did not hit two criteria to qualify as Scottish spending, he said.

Mr Davie spoke to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee on Thursday, alongside BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine and finance director Rhona Burns.

Tim Davie gesturing with his hands while speaking, seated in the Scottish Parliament
Tim Davie spoke to MSPs on Thursday (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Labour MSP Neil Bibby asked Mr Davie about recent analysis by filmmaker Peter Strachan, which questioned the extent to which The Traitors – a reality show hosted in a Scottish castle – is actually Scottish.

Mr Strachan suggested the vast majority of production staff are based in London.

Mr Davie acknowledged he wants to see the numbers for The Traitors improve and there is a “direction of travel”.

The SNP’s George Adam pressed him on whether the hit programme is a Scottish production, saying: “Mr Davie, if you were on The Traitors and you used that as an excuse or a defence you’d be banished that night.”

Mr Davie said he would never go into reality TV, adding: “It’s not an excuse, we’re not trying to game a number – I’m not interested in that.

“I’m not trying to get an excuse, I have nothing to excuse in that way.

“I have ambition to grow production in Scotland.”

He had earlier said the increase in the proportion of licence fee spending in Scotland is a “great story”.

Mr Davie and the other BBC officials highlighted that in the last financial year, the corporation spent £296 million in Scotland

Rhona Burns, Tim Davie and Hayley Valentine seating during Holyrood committee hearing
Mr Davie said the corporation’s spending in Scotland has increased (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Ms Valentine said talks are continuing around BBC Scotland showing football games involving the men’s national team.

A number of MSPs on the committee also pushed the BBC officials to increase their coverage of the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Adam said he and Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr had been “known to have the odd barney, the odd bit of drama in the chamber”.

He said: “But it’s the only way we’re going to get any access, as backbenchers, to any BBC kind of news in any shape or form.”

He suggested that instead of a sensible debate the MSPs created “drama” greater than the BBC’s productions.

Ms Valentine said the BBC does “a lot” of politics coverage and praised the BBC Scotland staff at the Scottish Parliament.

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