Mark Linsey on why the car show needs time to grow, what sets Strictly apart – and why the production arm is not a prelude to privatisation

Mark Linsey, head of the BBC’s recently created production arm BBC Studios, is explaining why one of the jewels in the corporation’s crown has lost a little of its lustre.

“Top Gear was a phenomenon, but it certainly didn’t start as a phenomenon. It grew over time. When you are trying something new, albeit with a well-known format, but certainly with a new cast, it is going to take time.

“If you look at the first series of the Clarkson era it didn’t even have James May in it. It took 10 years to grow and the new Top Gear needs time to grow. It certainly didn’t surprise me it didn’t do the audience figures of the previous series.”

That Linsey describes the previous decade as the “Clarkson era” sums up what many have said about Top Gear - that without him as the linchpin for the presenting lineup, the show can’t reach the heights it once occupied. And of course, it has already lost the man meant to be his replacement, Chris Evans, who decided to quit after just one series saying he “gave it my best shot”. Aren’t they looking for another frontman?

“No we are not at the moment. [The new Top Gear] was built around an ensemble. Matt LeBlanc was an important part of that ensemble. Clearly the viewers enjoyed Matt LeBlanc, and we want him to come back. Clearly they enjoyed the other Chris [Harris], and Rory [Reid] – they have told us that. All the elements were there of an ensemble rather than just focusing it on Chris [Evans], and I think that is evident in the way that we produced it. There will be change, but we will be building on the characters that worked, ie Rory, Chris and Matt LeBlanc.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lesley Joseph and Judge Rinder at the launch of Strictly Come Dancing at Elstree Studios. Photograph: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock

The BBC has months to sort out what it is doing with Top Gear, but the Guardian is talking to Linsey at the pre-launch event for another, more sparkly jewel in its lineup, Strictly Come Dancing. In the runup to the publication of the white paper on the BBC in May, there were numerous calls for it to re-examine its approach to big mass-appeal entertainment shows. The then culture secretary, John Whittingdale, had previously questioned whether the BBC should be making shows like Strictly, but rapidly changed his mind in power, calling the show “admirable” and suggesting it was just the sort of “distinctive” fare the corporation should be doing.

He was not, however, so kind about shows like The Voice, which had brought in high ratings but few plaudits. So what sets Strictly apart? “No one else would have thought of bringing ballroom dancing to Saturday peak,” says Linsey. “Ballroom had its tradition but it’s come back in a very different form. I think only the BBC would do that.

“I think, also, right from the word go it had a joyousness, a celebration of people’s talents and transformation that is very much part of the BBC.” He adds pointedly: “And also entertainment is very much part of what the BBC does.”

The BBC decided to let The Voice move to ITV, yet Linsey says there should be no pull-back from entertainment programming more broadly. “These discussions around what the BBC should be doing and what it shouldn’t be doing, particularly in entertainment have been going on for a long time, but we have a heritage of delivering mainstream entertainment that is popular to our viewers. I think it would be very sad if we don’t do that.”

Top Gear and Strictly are two of the biggest shows that are now produced by teams ultimately reporting to Linsey. BBC Studios and its roughly 2,000 staff were officially separated out from the rest of the corporation in April, but most of the unpicking of the organisation from the rest of the BBC until then had been overseen by Linsey’s predecessor Peter Salmon, formerly head of BBC North. However, Salmon announced in April that he was leaving to join Studios’ direct competitor Endemol Shine (followed earlier this summer by former BBC2 controller Kim Shillinglaw), and Linsey, previously acting director of television after the departure of Danny Cohen, took on the job. That doesn’t mean, however, that most of the work is already done. Several senior executives at Studios have gone, giving Linsey “an opportunity to bring in the people I felt were needed”. There are further hurdles to clear.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mark Linsey: ‘Entertainment is very much part of what the BBC does.’ Photograph: Jack Barnes/BBC

“We’ve had the nod from the government in the white paper that they are happy with where we are,” says Linsey. “We are now going through the regulatory process with the [BBC] Trust. We’ve just submitted the regulatory proposals for that that will play out with them and we hope to get their approval sometime in the autumn, with a view to going commercial sometime next year.”

Getting government approval came with a nasty surprise. Until the white paper’s publication, BBC bosses were working on the assumption that, in return for freeing Studios to make programmes for other broadcasters, a minimum of 40% of BBC shows would be opened up to tender from independent producers, as had been negotiated with industry association Pact. Yet the figure decided upon by the government was 100% of everything currently produced by Linsey’s division – equivalent to a total budget of £400m a year.

“It was a surprise, we had agreed 40% with Pact over two years, so it was a surprise when it was all opened up to contestablility,” says Linsey. “But I think the important thing about contestability is that it will drive creativity, it will make us more competitive, and it will certainly focus our minds on how we are spending our money.”

That freedom means working with other partners as well, and inevitably Studios is looking at the likes of Amazon and Netflix, as well as US broadcasters as partners. Yet doing so comes with a potentially controversial downside. Studios is likely to find itself making programmes which will show on other channels or platforms long before they appear on those run by the BBC, or indeed, the TV screens of many licence fee payers.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest EastEnders: still ‘doing extremely well’, says Linsey. Photograph: Jack Barnes/BBC

Having to deal with such complex windowing is inevitable, and Studios will have “to wash its face”, in Lindsey’s words. Yet he says it will remain first and foremost a public-serving organisation, and that may sometimes make it harder to compete with rivals.

“We are part of the BBC group, the BBC is a public service broadcaster, it has the licence fee, so at times we will have to do what is best for the BBC group as a whole and the licence fee payer, which might not be what’s best for BBC Studios,” he says. “Yes we will be commercial in certain areas. But really we are there to be part of the BBC group and part of the BBC values. That may mean that commercially we don’t always participate as other production arms would.”

He remains confident nevertheless that the organisation will be able to hold on to the biggest BBC contracts against the likes of ITV Studios. “Will we still be making EastEnders in 10 years’ time? Yes I think we will. It’s an important show for the BBC, I think we are the best people to make it. It’s doing extremely well. The audience shows no signs of diminishing, and I think there is very good justification why it should remain with BBC Studios.”

And what about the other concern: that creating a separate, commercial production arm for the BBC (and putting all BBC programming out to tender) lays the ground for selling off the corporation bit by bit, starting with Studios? “That’s not the intention, certainly not why I would be doing this job. We can see very much our purpose is reputational, it’s safeguarding those genres that other producers or broadcasters don’t necessarily do.

“We are not a plc; others, particularly the larger producers, the more consolidated producers, have year on year growth to achieve. We are not under that pressure ... And certainly, we don’t want to be privatised.”

Curriculum vitae



Age 54

Education Cambridgeshire High School for Boys; Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge; Leicester Polytechnic

Career 2016 director, BBC Studios 2015 acting director of television 2013 deputy director of television 2011 head of editorial standards, BBC Television 2010 member of BBC Television board 2009 controller of entertainment commissioning 2007 executive editor for entertainment commissioning 2004 director of entertainment, Talent Television 2001 managing director, Zeal Television 1997 head of entertainment, Tiger Aspect 1994 freelance series producer