Claire Newman, the Factual Content Senior Planner at BBC Worldwide, commented that with factual or documentary programming, the audience seeks to learn something about the world and stories that connect with other cultures, among other things.
She commented that factual programming must have enlightenment and thus generate conversation, inform and entertain. It must also have emotion since the stories being told are human stories that should produce empathy and drama. And they must create engagement, so it generates an impact.
According to a study conducted by the company: 74% believes that documentaries must be as dramatic as series, 66%, that they should take them places where they wouldn´t be able to go on their own, and 57% prefers to watch a presenter with experience, instead of one who just talks.
Taking all these aspects and factors into account, the company has launched or is about to launch programs like House of Saud, Louis Theroux: Dark States, The Truth About Getting Fit, Dynasty, Spy In The World, The Ganges With Sue Perkins and Love and Hate Crime, among others.
