The ±«Óãtv and The Open University (OU) combine the best of both organisations’ resources and talents to reach the widest possible audience with innovative, exciting and inspiring content. They work in partnership to co-produce programmes for all ±«Óãtv TV, radio, digital and online channels/platforms. In total they produce up to 35 projects a year.
A Learning Journey is the educational journey that enhances and enriches the broadcast/content experience that the viewer/user takes after watching, listening or engaging with programmes and/or online/digital content.
The OU, through its nominated academics, will provide regular input into the production process including reasonable attendance at production team meetings. The OU’s involvement is managed by Broadcast Project Managers who are the primary contact between production teams and OU academics.
All Learning Journey projects shall include a request made to the audience to continue the Learning Journey by accessing free complementary materials produced by The OU. The call-to-action will be collaboratively agreed in advance of the online edit. See the for more information.
Programme makers should refer to the relevant ±«Óãtv factual commissioning team or the key contact for The Open University.
Find out more about how to deliver to .
Priority subject areas
The OU is interested in factual commissioning in the areas of:
- Arts and history
- Business, management and law
- Education and languages
- Health, wellbeing and social care
- Technology including, engineering, maths and computing
- Science and nature
- Social sciences including psychology
- Current affairs
The OU is interested in supporting proposals which:
- Inspire people to find out more about subjects or topics by engaging with content on OU and partnerships platforms, such as and – the OU’s Citizen Science platform developed in partnership with the ±«Óãtv, which supports a number of ±«Óãtv projects eg Gardenwatch and Forest 404.
- Provide the stimulus for further study at The Open University.
- Are intellectually challenging and focus on priority subject areas.
- Explore new ways of delivering content and interactivity for the audience, via mobile, online, apps. AR and VR and on demand services.
- Stimulate 'local' audiences and provide outreach in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and English Regions.
- Connect to the OU's teaching and provide material for modules.
Overview of recent projects
±«Óãtv One
- The Green Planet
- Greta: A Year to Change the World
- A Perfect Planet
- Patrick Kietly: One Hundred Years of Union
- Inside the Supermarket
- Blue Planet II
- Blue Planet Live
- Earth from Space
±«Óãtv Two
- Universe
- The Truth About...
- Don’t Exclude Me
- Secret Science of Sewage
- The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime
- Secrets of the Museum
- Cornwall: This Fishing Life
- Fever Pitch: History of the Premier League
- Countryfile: Plant Britain
- The Decade The Rich Won
- Building Britain’s Biggest Nuclear Power Station
- Child of Our Time: Turning 20
- Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls
- The Big Hospital Experiment
- Hospital
- Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure
- Autumnwatch
- Forensics: The Real CSI
- Gold Town
±«Óãtv Three
- Freeze: Skating on the Edge
- The Surrogates
- Nowehere to Run: Abused by our Coach
- Drugsland
- Life Begins Now
- Wanted: A Very Personal Assistant
±«Óãtv Four
- Write Around the World with Richard E. Grant
- How to Make
- NHS: A People's History
- The Secret Story of Stuff: Materials of the Modern Age
- Magic Numbers: Hannah Fry’s Mysterious World of Maths
Radio 4
- Economics with Subtitles
- Green Originals
- ±«Óãtv Inside Science
- More or Less
- The Bottom Line
- Thinking Allowed
- All in the Mind
World Service
Learning English
±«Óãtv Ideas
±«Óãtv Education
Terms of trade
The process is the same for independent productions and the agreement with the independent will incorporate the OU rights and requirements. Find out more about the ±«Óãtv Business framework (Terms of trade) on the Production and delivery website.
Making and delivering OU content
Find out more about The Open University production and delivery requirements including credit and publicity guidance on the .
Contacts
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Caroline Ogilvie
Open University, Head of Broadcast Commissioning
Explore the site
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Briefs and contacts
Commissioners and ideas -
Supporting indies
How we commission and work -
Skills and training
Industry training and skills development