There have been rumours circulating on various TV-related forums such as Digital Spy that the BBC were on the verge of introducing animated on-screen "Coming Next" captions that appear whilst a programme is showing (which have also been described as 'pointers'). And these rumours have turned out to be provisionally true as such a caption appeared not long before the end of tonight's repeat of Only Fools and Horses in order to inform viewers that "The National Lottery Winning Lines" was on next.
This is just part of the latest 'trend' for the use of more intrusive promotional devices; indeed BBC Three has been using such captions since its launch, though this is the first time (as far as I know) that a mainstream BBC channel (ie. BBC One or Two) has used such a device. ITV1 also uses similar animated captions but was forced to restrict their use to weekends after viewer complaints, though whether the BBC will adopt similar restrictions is another matter.
In theory these captions attempt to encourage people to carry on watching the same channel instead of switching over when the credits roll, though I've always thought that this sort of thing can equally force just as many viewers to switch sides prematurely if what's coming next seems less than promising (based on its title) as opposed to making the nature of the next programme slightly less obvious, therefore lazy people will carry on watching naturally just to see what's on next - and they may just like what they see as opposed to pre-judging a programme based on its title.
But another and much more serious problem with the use of such 'pointers' is the disruptive visual effect that they can cause. Although its first application was during an old episode of Only Fools and Horses that was being shown for the 'nth' time, such promotional devices can seriously disrupt the atmosphere generated by a programme close to its conclusion.
The last few minutes of a programme is usually the moment (especially in drama or comedy programmes) that is the culmination of the entire episode, and the production staff (the scriptwriter, actors, directors, etc.) have spent hours of effort leading up to this very moment, only to find the climax being ruined by a broadcaster's petty obsession with "keeping bums on seats at all costs".
If you see such a 'pointer' caption being used on any BBC television channel in the future - or for that matter any form of end credit promotion that immediately disrupts the mood of a programme (EastEnders is a common example) - don't forget to complain to the BBC duty office. And if this sort of thing continues, also lodge a complaint with your local MP, since what's the point of licence fee payer's money being spent on any form of drama if the concluding moments are abruptly interrupted by a nasty red caption.
