The corporation already works with independents and is highly innovative, but is hampered by government policies, writes Steve Elliot
Derek Wyatt, as a former member of the culture, media and sport select committee, offers a skewed perspective of the media landscape inhabited by the
BBC (Letters, 21 September). He asks why it is not possible for the BBC to open areas up to independent production companies when the BBC has been open to such initiatives since April 1993 after John Birt introduced Producer Choice.
There are pitfalls here: the corporation can develop and broadcast popular shows in conjunction with independents but may not profit from their popularity. Look what happened to the Great
British Bake Off, when the production company sold it to Channel 4; or Mad Men, which was lost when Sky bought all
UK access to
HBO shows. There will undoubtedly be more of this.