BBC reality show turns children into matchmakers

Recently it was stated by BBC bosses that the intention was to move away from "reality TV" towards programming that reflected real life issues, hence the axing of Changing Rooms (which was nearing the end of its natural life). However the new "Date My Mum... Date My Dad" proposal runs the risk of undoing the good intentions expressed by the stated change of policy.

This also illustrates a theoretical danger of accepting a greater number of pitches from larger independent producers; these producers tend to think more along commercial lines for formats that can be resold to other broadcasters abroad as well as to commercial rivals such as Sky One, Five and (even) Channel 4. Plus it's often the case that only the larger indies have the resources to regularly produce programming that's acceptable to a mainstream channel such as BBC One, so this again might preclude ideas conceived by the smaller producers (one of the often-touted 'advantages' of independent productions).

So it's entirely arguable that forcing the BBC to employ a greater percentage of independent productions for its mainstream programming can indirectly result in such programming becoming more 'commercial' in their nature, with any real innovation being reserved for channels such as BBC Four. The larger producers may deny that this is the case, but the "Date My Mum..." proposal certainly has derivative elements and the idea is certainly of the sort that could be repitched to commercial broadcasters if the BBC were to reject the proposal.

As for Lorraine Heggessey's new direction for BBC One, to quote: "She declared the BBC's emphasis was now on taking risks to create a broader range of quality programmes and shows that viewers could not expect to see elsewhere". Except Channel 4 perhaps?