The BBC will attempt to launch new arts programming later this year. Good, but “why should arts television need relaunching? Whatever happened to the arts on television? What happened was, in part, a loss of nerve. This has taken various forms. First, expelling the arts from the main channels. We have seen the almost complete disappearance of the arts from BBC1.” Second, the tone of TV arts shows in recent years has shifted dramatically. “The heyday of arts television was the product of an era with different values and assumptions, reflected in several great landmark series.”