The BBC is to scrap Planet Relief, a television special about climate change that provoked a revolt from senior executives. Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Ross had been lined up to star in a day of programmes next year, designed to “raise consciousness” about the environment.

The event would have involved viewers in a mass “switch-off” to save energy. But BBC figures gave warning that the concept could be the latest in a series of campaigns, disguised as entertainment, that breached impartiality guidelines.

Advocates of Planet Relief finally relented after viewers said that they wanted intelligent programmes about climate change instead of lectures from hypocritical pop stars and celebrities.

The revolt was led by Peter Barron, editor of the BBC Two Newsnightprogramme. He said that it was “not the corporation’s job to save the planet”. He added: “If the BBC is thinking about campaigning on climate change, then that is wrong and not our job.”

Peter Horrocks, head of BBC television news, added: We should be giving people information, not leading them.” The BBC has now scrapped the concept. Negative reaction to this summer’s flop Live Earth concert, promoted by Al Gore, was cited as a factor. Audience feedback found that viewers wanted serious, informed programmes about the planet’s future.

A BBC spokesman said: “BBC One aims to bring a mass audience to contemporary and relevant issues and this includes the topic of climate change.

“Our audiences tell us they are most receptive to documentary or factual style programming as a means of learning about the issues surrounding this subject, and as part of this learning we have made the decision not to proceed with the Planet Relief event.”

The BBC promised instead to “focus our energies on a range of factual programmes on the important and complex subject of climate change. This decision was not made in light of the recent debate around impartiality.”

A report endorsed by the BBC Trust criticised Jonathan Ross for a serious breach of impartiality when he presented the Live8 concert. Ross directed viewers to the Make Poverty History campaign website. The Vicar of Dibleywas also criticised for screening a poverty campaign film.

“The growing trend towards celebrity-driven, single-issue campaigns presents the BBC with impartiality dilemmas, particularly in entertainment areas dealing with factual material,” the report said. “Programmes that are in league with campaigns have no place on the BBC, because of the inherent loss of editorial control,” it concluded.

The new BBC Trust has taken a tougher line on BBC “campaigns”. Management was ordered to rethink a new BBC charity called Saving Planet Earth, which solicited funds from viewers.

Environmental campaigners criticised the abandonment of Saving Planet Earth. Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth director, said: “This is a very disappointing decision considering the huge potential for the BBC in helping us more quickly make the shift toward a low-carbon society. The science of climate change is very clear and if approached in the right way taking up this very serious issue would not compromise the BBC’s impartiality.”

Mr Juniper asked why the BBC should treat climate change any differently from recent television campaigns over child welfare, international development and wildlife protection.

The Planet Reliefconcept originated 18 months ago, and was scheduled for broadcast in 2008. It was seen as a logical sequel to Live8 in 2005, which sought to raise awareness of global poverty.

Bias at the Beeb

— Jonathan Ross plugging Make Poverty History at Live8 was criticised as the “most shocking breach of impartiality on the BBC in recent years”

— A senior BBC executive said that impartiality in the 2005 BBC Africa season was “as safe as a blood bank in the hands of Dracula”

— Judge John Deed breached guidelines with an episode that “appeared to side with the argument that the MMR vaccine was dangerous to children”

— The BBC Washington correspondent Justin Webb accused the corporation of treating the US with scorn, derision and “no moral weight”

— New weather graphics in 2005 appeared to suggest that northern Scotland was on the periphery – “a presumption that the bulk of the audience lives in large cities”

— A special BBC “NHS day” risked the appearance of government propaganda, said Adam Boulton, the Sky News political editor

Sources: 2007 Report on BBC impartiality, From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel, Times database

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