How the Beleaguered BBC Became ‘Comfort Food’ in a Pandemic

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/arts/television/bbc-coronavirus.html

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LONDON — It may seem unlikely that a country known for being buttoned-up would turn to a man dancing in a multicolored unitard for reassurance and inspiration. Yet each morning recently, about 1.6 million people in Britain have been tuning in to watch Mr. Motivator, real name Derrick Evans, on a BBC program called “Healthcheck U.K. Live.”

Mr. Motivator, who gained fame here in the 1990s encouraging people to flex and thrust with him on morning television, is a part of the BBC’s current efforts to cater to a population under lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is what the BBC is designed to do, said Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s head of content. In a time of need, the public broadcaster is doing everything it can to cater to and unite the population, she said. In recent weeks, this has taken shape as a new slate of programming that offers escapism and education — and workouts, too.

Viewers are turning to the institution, nicknamed “Auntie” for its staid and reliable reputation, for support and entertainment. The BBC said its viewer numbers in the last three weeks were 24 percent higher than the year before, and it had increased its share of overall viewers. More than a third of television viewing in Britain in the last three weeks was on BBC platforms, according to Enders Analysis, a research firm.

Its role helping the population grapple with a world muted by the pandemic has started to pacify the BBC’s critics — a reversal in fortune when the public broadcaster started the year defending itself against attacks from both sides of the political divide and facing serious questions from Boris Johnson's government about the future of its funding.

Although audiences might be joining him for some squats, the current popularity of Mr. Motivator is more akin to “comfort food,” said Richard Broughton, the research director at Ampere Analysis, a media research firm.

“To have these comforting faces on TV, that you might remember from your youth, is useful from a mental health angle,” Mr. Broughton said.

There was talk earlier this year of cuts to children’s television if the BBC’s revenue got squeezed. Now, it is ramping up its educational provisions with daily lessons for school children unable to finish their school year.

The CBBC brand, aimed at children aged 6 to 12, nearly doubled its average viewership on its streaming platform, as harried parents look to occupy children stuck at home.

The BBC has seen a surge in numbers for its news programs, too, with the audience for the 6 p.m. news program hitting levels not seen in more than a decade. Millions also tune in to the broadcast of the government’s daily news conferences.

At the same time, people are searching for some gentle escapism: “The Repair Shop,” in which craftspeople restore treasured belongings, is getting more than 6 million viewers.

The BBC will be taking viewers behind the closed doors of museums with its “Culture in Quarantine” festival. The sports department will be offering up replays of the Olympics and soccer tournaments like Euro ’96. BBC local radio stations will be broadcasting Muslim calls to prayer, and church services will be screened over the Easter weekend.

And there are new dramas coming, like a small-screen adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel “Normal People” and the third season of “Killing Eve.” “There’s a massive anxiety for everybody,” said Ms. Moore of the BBC’s viewers. “Our role is to help everybody cope. It’s really important we give people opportunities to escape.”

These efforts do seem to be working. “What the pandemic has done is reset the public opinion around the BBC,” said Mr. Broughton.

However, the BBC’s ability to respond to the current extraordinary circumstances doesn’t guarantee it will remain out of the line of political fire. At the end of March, a parliamentary committee started an inquiry into the future of public service broadcasting in Britain, which will scrutinize BBC funds.

Old gripes may remain too. Politicians on both the left and right have criticized the BBC for perceived political bias and paying its stars too lavishly. Conservatives reproached it for competing with commercial companies.

Updated June 12, 2020

So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

The broadcaster also caused an outcry when it decided to start charging viewers over the age of 75 for their license fee, the charge that funds the BBC, levied on every household in Britain with a TV. As the pandemic upturned daily life, last month the BBC decided to delay the change. This could buy it some respite from criticism that being hurled at it just months ago, analysts say.

“The moments in time in which the BBC is vulnerable is the six months after the election,” said Claire Enders, the founder of Enders Analysis.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a general election in December with a huge majority, and the vote was followed by a ban on ministers appearing on certain BBC programs, as well as declarations from a top government official that the organization was ripe for reform.

But, Ms. Enders said, after those initial six months or so in office, “the ability to engineer change is always incredibly limited by the real events that take over.”

The BBC will have to work to maintain the public’s rediscovered good will past the end of the lockdown, said Broughton, the research analyst. Still, its support could protect the BBC against challenges from politicians. “The BBC’s position in any review of its funding output is going to make it more difficult for politicians to adjust the funding model in the next few years,” Mr. Broughton said.

Damian Collins, a Conservative member of parliament who chaired the parliamentary committee running an inquiry into BBC pay practices, criticized the broadcaster in stark terms a few months ago.

“We are seeing clear evidence that the funding model of the BBC will become unsustainable without substantial increases in commercial revenue,” he said in one report. In another he noted that, “the BBC has much to do to ensure it is seen as relevant by younger audiences.”

But even he has been mollified by the BBC’s quarantine coverage.

“The BBC has demonstrated in the last few weeks they can respond to the public need in the way that a commercial broadcaster might not,” Mr. Collins said in an interview.

“Out of this national crisis,” he added, “the BBC has rediscovered its role.”