Viewers want more drama, less reality TV

Viewers want to see more drama and documentaries rather than reality and celebrity shows, according to new research.

The study also shows that viewers reckon Big Brother - soon to disappear from Channel 4 but which may be revived on Channel Five - is the show most people say they strive to avoid.

The figures - from a joint survey by SeeSaw.com and Radio Times - come as popular shows X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing prepare to go head to head for Saturday night ratings.

And Channel 4 is going all-out with Big Brother's last gasp as former stars flood the show for a fortnight.

The survey of 2,000 adults - to appear in this week's Radio Times - finds nearly a third of viewers (31 per cent) want more drama, while 30 per cent would prefer more documentaries.

Just 2 per cent of those polled said they wanted more celebrity content, and 3 per cent wanted further reality TV.

A total of 44 per cent said Big Brother was the show they were most likely to avoid, with the X Factor landing 6 per cent of the poll. Top Gear was named the nation's favourite show.

The study also looked at TV consumption and identified changes in the way people now view their programmes. It found only 29 per cent of students watched shows mainly on live TV, while 56 per cent said they watched their shows online.

Just over a third of all those who took part (34 per cent) said they now watched their favourite shows online.

John Keeling, platform controller of online TV service SeeSaw, said: "The nation's hunger for great television is insatiable.

"Viewing across the board is in robust health but scratch the surface and a quiet revolution is taking place. Whilst the nation continues to watch fantastic shows like Doctor Who and Top Gear, a new generation of fans are enjoying these shows online."

Ben Preston, editor of Radio Times, said: "Television isn't a passive activity any more. We hunt down what we want to watch, gather great shows we've missed and chat and joke about what we've seen - whether friends and family are sitting next to us or are online thousands of miles away."

The findings come after BBC director-general Mark Thompson warned the television industry was facing a major crisis during a speech at the Edinburgh Television Festival last week.

He said "top talent" pay will be reduced as budget cuts take their toll. The corporation recently lost two of its most high-profile stars, Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles.

Mr Thompson also said the number of senior managers would be reduced by at least a fifth by the end of 2011 and the senior management payroll will fall by at least a quarter.

He also called for increased collaboration between broadcasters to ensure the future success of the industry.

He said: "I don't believe that decline - creative, financial, institutional decline, above all, a decline in the quality of British television - is inevitable."