Funding for the BBC's arts coverage will go up by 20%,
the broadcaster's director general is to announce.
Tony Hall - who
used to run the Royal Opera House - says he wants to return the arts to the
corporation's "heart".
It will mean
plays, art exhibitions and more live music from around the UK being broadcast
on the BBC.
Among Lord
Hall's proposals are a new "BBC Arts at" brand and new television
series fronted by historian Simon Schama and broadcaster Andrew Marr.
The director
general, formerly the BBC's head of news, returned to the corporation following
the Jimmy Savile scandal.
He wants to see
the BBC collaborate more with arts institutions around the country.
In a speech on
Tuesday he is expected to unveil new partnerships with London's British Museum,
the Tate and the Manchester International Festival.
The plans mean
that more opening nights, major exhibitions and arts events will be shown live
on television.
Hidden heroes
An experimental
digital service known as The Space, developed by the BBC and Arts Council
England, is also due to be relaunched in 2014.
"Arts
programming sits right at the heart of the BBC and is a vital part of who we
are, but I want us to to be much more ambitious," Lord Hall said.
"We need
to showcase more of the incredible talent that this country has to offer to the
widest possible audiences.
He is due to
announce major new television series featuring two faces familiar to BBC
audiences.
Mr Schama will
front a five-part series in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery
exploring the history of Britain through portraiture.
A series
looking at the greatest writers in Scotland will be presented by journalist Mr
Marr.
And there will
be a series of six BBC One programmes seeking to uncover the "hidden
heroes" of British art, with 10 amateurs competing for the title of
Britain's best artists.
The
announcement is part of the director general's new strategy for the BBC and
comes as the corporation looks to cut 2,000 jobs over five years after the
freezing of the licence fee.
Source: BBC
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