Under the terms of its 2016 Charter, the BBC has an obligation to let outside companies bid to make many of the comedy, drama and factual shows which were originally created by its in-house teams.
This requirement is known as a ‘competitive tender’ and is different to the commissioning of new shows and formats from outside companies.
Some of the BBC’s biggest titles have been opened up to tender, including Casualty, Mastermind, Bargain Hunt and now Doctor Who.
Putting a show out to tender doesn’t mean the BBC is selling the show in question or that it’s going to suddenly move to a different broadcaster or a streaming service.
Instead it’s offering a contract to do the day to day production duties for a fixed period or time on a ‘work for hire’ basis – meaning the BBC continues to own all rights, including copyright, distribution rights and trademarks, and that the show will continue to air on BBC channels and iPlayer.
When the BBC decides to put a show out for tender, it sets out certain conditions for the show’s future which are detailed in an ‘invitation to tender’ (ITT) document.
For example, the 2025 ITT for BBC One’s Casualty specified both that the show must continue to be filmed at its current Roath Lock facility in Cardiff and that the successful bidder would be responsible for switching its setting from the current Holby City Hospital to a new Welsh NHS setting.
There were also requirements that the winner have sufficient access to medical experts for the show to remain credible and realistic, that they continue the show’s history of developing new writers, and that “much loved characters to remain part of the editorial shift to the location of the new Welsh hospital” while still leaving space to bring in new characters.
The BBC’s tender process has various rounds.
It first sifts expressions of interest to ensure potential bidders are eligible, those which pass this test go forward to a second stage where they’ll get further information and be able to meet with the BBC before submitting a formal bid.
The BBC then scores these submissions against specified criteria and the highest scoring bids are then shortlisted and proceed to the next stage.
At this point the shortlisted bidders meet a BBC evaluation team to make their pitch and answer any questions, these responses are then evaluated and the process culminates with the BBC picking a winning bid.