Under pressure

The frenetic yoof chase at the BBC continues. Marginal successes are now shouted from the rooftops, in praise of the perspicacity of commissioners.

We are told Radio 1 bosses have decided to extend the run of The Gemma Collins Podcast froman initial eight episodes to 16. The podcast is a Wisebuddah production for Radio 1 and BBC Sounds, commissioned for BBC Sounds by Radio 1’s Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, Louise Kattenhorn.  The podcast reached No 1 in the Apple Podcast Chart soon after launch in August, and stayed there for a number of weeks. [This, as we and others have explained, is not a chart by any normally understood standards]. This morning it stands at No 51.

We're told it's popular with under 35s. Topics Gemma has covered include fake tan fails, body confidence, and wanting children. Topics she hopes to cover include aliens, the universe and angels.

Over at BBC3, Controller Fiona Campbell wants us to know that a tv documentary about online bullying featuring Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson was the top programme on BBC iPlayer in the week of release with 1.87 million requests within seven days, with 64% of them from 16-34s.

It was also shown on BBC1 at 9pm, and has consolidated with 3.3 million viewers, a 55% uplift from overnight viewing, with 964k 16-34s, meaning it is the highest 16-34 viewed programme on BBC One this year in peak time.

Some other figures. 1318 days ago the BBC closed BBC3 as a network channel. At that stage, it was reaching on average 20% of the country's 16-34 year olds each week - according to BARB, there's 14.4m of them. The most recent BBC figures show BBC3 online reaching 8% of them, with a target to reach 10% next year.  The average age of a viewer to BBC1 is 61, and that's the youngest of its networks.