A lavish dramatization of the early years of Mary Queen of Scots and a feature-length updated version of "Dr Who" will be among the highlights of the BBC's multimillion bid to become a big player in the film industry.
     The UK's state-owned television corporation has also taken a significant stake in a film based on Tomb Raider, the computer game featuring the character Lara Croft.
    The new projects will benefit from an extra $70 million earmarked for film projects by Greg Dyke, the director-general of the BBC. 
   Dyke expects success in the Oscars in return.
     Alan Yentob, the BBC's creative director, says "Tomb Raider" is the biggest film involving the corporation. The BBC's financial investment in the Paramount Pictures project provides that executives from the corporation are able to examine scripts and casting decisions, as well as being guaranteed the television rights and a share of the profits. 
   Importantly, for Dyke it will be credited as a BBC film when it goes on general cinema release in June.
     The $28 million film about the turbulent and bloody reign of Mary Queen of Scots is being made with James Bond star Sir Sean Connery's production company, Fountainbridge Films. Kate Winslet, co-star of the blockbuster movie "Titanic," is expected to be approached to play the lead role. 
   Meanwhile, the BBC has finally confirmed rumors that it is about to commit $60 million to the making of a movie based on its cult sci-fi TV series "Dr Who."
    The BBC's move into movies is set to rival Channel Four, a competing UK commercial broadcaster, which has had a series of successes with its movie investments that have included "Elizabeth" and "Trainspotting" through its FilmFour subsidiary. 
   Channel Four has used both the experience and rights gained from its investment strategy to establish its own pay-TV movie channel for digital TV subscribers.
    The commercialization of the BBC has shifted up a gear since Dyke took over as director general of the BBC in April last year. 
  Faced with growing political reluctance to increase tax funding to the broadcaster, Dyke is building alternative revenue streams and modeling the business more along the lines of an integrated entertainment corporation, such as Disney.
    In addition to its movie investments, the BBC is also leveraging the merchandising opportunities associated with its TV characters to gain new revenues.
    This was clearly demonstrated over the Christmas holidays. While the showing of its blockbuster TV movie "Titanic" did not do as well as hoped,  attracting Christmas Day audiences of just 9.9 million, a pop music record derived from its kids TV cartoon "Bob the Builder" became a Christmas No. 1 hit. 
    Meanwhile, another BBC kids program, "The Tweenies," has already clocked up over $14 million in merchandise revenues and may double this following a live tour of the program's characters next month that is playing capacity crowds at the UK's top seven rock arenas.
    BBC Worldwide's financial contribution has become increasingly important to the BBC. 
   Over the next few years, Dyke plans to spend close to $600 million more on programming than the license fee will bring in. 
   The division has a target of generating more than $280 million a year for the BBC by 2006. With the global success of properties such as "Teletubbies," "Top of the Pops," "Tweenies" and "Walking with Dinosaurs," in the financial year 1999/2000 revenues topped $700 million for the first time.
     With an expected 15 percent annual growth rate from its commercial group and additional revenue anticipated from its movie investments, the BBC is setting its sights on becoming a major commercial media player. 
    Ironically, although the commercialization policy was established in order to subsidize its tax funding, the more success it has in these ventures, the more pressure the BBC is likely to feel from politicians over its state funding mechanism. 

-Simon Bond covers European media for Media Life, writing from outside of London.

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