A glance at one of the numerous TV websites gives a depressing insight into how the powers that be plan to shape our viewing future.

Apparently, companies owned by Endemol - makers of Big Brother - hope that Make Me A Mum will be their next global smash.

It involves a group of male volunteers competing against each other for the "honour" of being chosen as a sperm donor by a woman. Viewers vote the field down to a final two before the woman chooses the winner.

There are also appeals for people with "Britain's dirtiest houses" to come forward, as well as those prepared to undergo live cosmetic surgery for the programme Silicone Chicks.

With so much cheap and tacky dross about, it's important that the BBC, which of course is a public service funded through the licence fee, does not find itself dragged down to the same level.

I know many people are deeply concerned at the way the BBC's attitude towards news in the region has changed.

The quality of pictures has certainly fallen since they introduced one person crews, and sometimes Look North resembles a Lifestyle show rather than a news programme.

That's no fault of the presenters or reporters. It's a clear policy shift - some might say dumbing down - by management.

There must be a danger for programme makers to place viewing figures or cheapness at the top of their agenda and devise new shows from that starting point.

So perhaps that explains why we end up with programmes seemingly aimed at the lowest common denominator. Endless makeover, dating or cookery shows or mawkish, cruel TV that seems simply to ridicule those taking part.

In fact, I think before any programme carries the BBC logo - or that of any other serious broadcaster - it should pass a quality threshold.

That doesn't mean filling the screens with high-brow intellectual discussions, it means making programmes that inform, entertain and appeal to a wide range of people.

An example is Strictly Come Dancing, a glossy, high quality production which proved a ratings winner.

But the big bonus of the show is that it has prompted a surge of interest across the country in ballroom dancing from both the older generation, who remember with fondness the dance halls of their youth, and younger viewers deciding to try it out for the first time.

This is excellent news for the nation's health and is something councils and health trusts across the country should build on.

When I next meet members of the local primary care trust I am going to suggest that they encourage people to give ballroom dancing a go.

It might mean hospitals hiring an instructor to visit every week and take recuperating and recently discharged patients and their families through their paces. Or perhaps councils could put on free trial classes at local sports centres.

As with the BBC, public bodies like councils and health trusts need to be innovative in order to get the best return for the taxpayers' money. We need to concentrate on value rather than simple cost.

Published: 14/01/05