How did the arts disappear on BBC? “First, expelling the arts from the main channels. We have seen the almost complete disappearance of the arts from BBC1. So, goodbye Omnibus, after 35 years. It was also decided that even BBC2, a “minority channel” for challenging programmes, shouldn’t be cluttered up with the arts. So, if they survived the culling of the mid-1990s-when long-running series like ‘The Late Show’ and ‘Bookmark’ were killed off—arts programmes were booted onto BBC4. The BBC does not even have a music and arts department any more. It is now part of specialist factual programming. Then there is the retreat from seriousness.”