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says: “I agree strongly with one of the messages Greg is trying to get across: ‘If you don’t like it, leave.’”
How would she sum up Dyke’s impact on the BBC?
“Greg is making a big difference. People see someone who is plain speaking, dynamic, passionate about things. Attacking the three C’s [crois- sants, chauffeurs and consultants] has struck a chord. It says we are not a wasteful bureaucracy, not developing a fat cat regime.”
With relish, she pounces on the decision to move the Nine O’ Clock
News - arguably the biggest change in the BBC 1 schedule in 30 years - as a pivotal signal that radical change is in order. “We get ourselves into a big stew about it, but the viewers didn’t
bat an eyelid. Viewing figures for news overall have increased, BBC’s slightly. Now it’s up to me to give them great programming to watch at nine o clock as well.”
With seismic change in mind, she recalls when she was a Producer on Panorama, and the eruption from the Current
Affairs Group when Michael Grade (then in charge of BBC 1) took the decision to move the untouch- able flagship from 8.10, Monday night to - heaven help us - 9.30 and reduce the length from 50 to 40 minutes!
“He came into our Lime Grove
piranha tank, as it was called, to explain. We didn’t like it, but he was right. The audience figures went up and the programmes actually got better: less self-indulgent. It made us focus and sharpen up our story-telling.”
Ironically, per- haps, Heggessey was the next Controller to move Panorama, this time to Sunday evenings.
One wondered whether this com- bative high-octane
Controller ever relax- es? “True. I am a very high octane lady. I belong to that
group of people who, even though they are tired at weekends, don’t chill out. They just do a whole load more things. If I haven’t got every minute of every-
day occupied then somehow I’m slacking. “
As she stuffed half a dozen video tapes and scripts by the handful into a BBC Resources carrier bag for the journey home to husband and two girls (8 and 11) she enthused: “Children are a great way of relaxing. I love reading to my children. Or just talking to
them. They demand all your attention. And I love skiing. You can’t worry about the schedule when you’re hurtling down a mountain.”
So what can we expect over the next six months?
“It takes a long time to change a channel. I am only in Phase One. I need time to build. It might be three years, might be five. ITV has many more drama bankers than the BBC at the moment. I hope that in two years time, ITV will be looking enviously at our schedule. The nine o’ clock drama slot is very important to us. Jane Tranter and I are commissioning hard. “
Not before time, say critics, point- ing out that drama on BBC 1 has halved to 11%, replaced by hobbies, leisure, quizzes and features which have shot up from 3% in the 1970’s to 27% last November.
For Lorraine Heggessey freeing the nine o’ clock slot and receiving more money for programmes, especially drama, gives her a golden opportunity.
“I am saying to the creative peo- ple whether drama or factual, there is no hiding place: deliver me com- pelling programmes for nine o’ clock. They have got the message, I can feel it; people have got the bit between their teeth. No channel Controller can do it alone. We’re dependent on the whole creative community. I want to re-invigorate them. I want them to feel: ‘How can we help Lorraine to rise to this challenge?’”
Will she be able to avoid being blown off course by the constant external political pressures that go with the job?
“As Controller of BBC 1, I have to concentrate on what matters and not get distracted by lobby groups with vested interests sounding off against change.
“What I have to say is: This is where I’m going. I shall break a few eggs along the way. I’m sorry about that but in the long term it will be for the good of BBC 1 - and of the BBC. Everybody will have to trust me to do it and if I fail, sack me.” ■
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“I want BBC 1 to be the UK’s most enjoyable channel.
I don’t want people to watch out of a sense of duty.”