Life with Lyons

The BBC Trust, heading towards death throes in the next Charter Renewal, is twisting, turning and spitting at the BBC Executive in both the Beeb's annual report, and its statement on the Strategy Review.

Odds and ends from the Trust, in my words... 

6Music is saved, and if you'd want try closing it again, get on with what we've told you to do with Radio 1 and Radio 2 first.  More distinctive, more down with the kids on 1; more daytime speech on Radio 2.  Over to you, Davie, Parfitt and Shennan - and a slap for strategists John Tate and Will Jackson.

The Asian Network can go, but we haven't seen anything in your proposals to replace it that suggests a better offer for British Asians - we want to see more details, and we'll give it a Public Value Test. So don't think hiding Asian language services on local radio in the evenings will be enough.

Jay Hunt - BBC1 not doing badly, but you keep commissioning the same sort of things, and you're unambitious at 9pm.


Janice Hadlow - can you remind us what BBC2 is for ?

Liam Keelam - Not enough "qualitee" on BBC 1 and 2 daytime. Not sure an extra £10m a year in re-investment will save us from delights like the Crimewatch Roadshow.

Meanwhile, the Trust is getting on with the important things, like a full run-out of its "Mystery Shopper" programme in 2010. As if the BBC didn't get enough complaints (and didn't have enough processes to deal with them) the Trust think it worthwhile making a few up themselves and seeing what happens.  Brilliant, Sir Michael.