I am at a complete loss to understand why the BBC has cancelled its only book programme, Between The Covers. The reasoning is, according to a spokesperson: “After eight series, we have made the difficult decision to bring Between the Covers to an end to enable us to prioritise high-impact content that drives viewers to iPlayer.” In my experience, the term “difficult decision” inevitably means the wrong decision and one which causes distress among the highest number of people possible.
The show, hosted by Radio 2’s Sara Cox, had a very simple premise. Guests, usually ‘celebrities’, review books and told the audience about their favourite books. And that was it. I loved it, like I loved Marmite Peanut butter, Twinings No. 22 dark caramel tea, Walls microwaved sausages and Heinz Tomato Soup, with a twist of Chilli, and now like these things it’s been discontinued.
I wonder what “high-impact content that drives viewers to iPlayer” looks like and, once I have been able to work it out, I also wonder why I cannot enjoy the odd bit of low-impact content? And anyway, who decides what is high-impact and low-impact anyway?
When I see the words “high-impact content“, I think of things like Gladiators, a show that has always had a high-impact on me as I rush to either switch channels or turn the TV off altogether. There is of course room for brainless TV – I have spent much of my life watching brainless TV – but I also like other kinds of TV. My partner enjoys gardening shows, other folk like watching people cook things or crafting. And gentle nature programmes, too, like Springwatch. I do not want to spend every evening, up to my neck in blood, metaphorically of course, watching yet another gory episode of Casualty, which must come under high-impact. But getting rid of the BBC’s only book programme seems like madness to me.
Reading is A Good Thing. It’s educational for the young, it helps older folk like me maintain their remaining marbles. And a show like Between The Covers, which must cost about five bob to produce (one for the teenagers, there), exists in order to entertain, inform and educate us all, the three reasons why the BBC exists. In its recent publicity blurb, the BBC claimed it was “our BBC” and that the corporation provided something for everyone. Well, that’s true because frankly I would happily pay the licence fee and more just for BBC 6 Music alone, never mind everything else I get to enjoy, but how on earth can the corporation not even acknowledge the effect books and reading has on our culture?
According to the Publishers Association, “total sales (in 2023) for the UK’s publishing industry reaching £6.9 billion, (much of which is in the export market) – up 4% from 2021. 669 million physical books were also sold last year. This is the highest overall level ever recorded.” 669 million books sold and not a single programme about books on our national broadcaster. This is madness.
In fact, the BBC seems to have an increasing issue with the arts. As well as a complete absence of book shows, there is precious little music on the BBC, unless you are called Jools Holland, as well as its admittedly excellent annual coverage of both Glastonbury and the Proms. In chasing ratings – and I do understand that the BBC does need to attract viewers to make its existence meaningful – the corporation would do well to remember the tiny number of people who buy the 669 million books sold in 2023.
Sara Cox was a great host of a great little programme but doubtless it will replaced by yet another fucking antique show or more tiresome middle class people buying their dream home in the countryside at the expense of some poor locals who live in the country but can no longer afford to own homes in it.
Let’s have a march on Westminster to save our book show. Most of us read books and we’d like to have the chance to watch a TV show where people talk about new books and tell us about their best books. I guess you are thinking that it’s a very slow news day when I have been reduced to writing about a TV book show, but it’s very big news to me and I hope they reverse this “difficult decision” by making the easy one to reinstate Between The Covers.
