BBC4 history presenter Janina Ramirez says scrapping the channel will punish elderly viewers who rely on arts and culture shows

• BBC Four has fewer than a million viewers most nights with an average age in their 60s 
• The channel is under threat of being closed or filled with repeats
• Dr Janina Ramirez said axing it would also have a negative impact on the relevance of the BBC

Axing BBC Four to boost youth television will deprive the elderly and vulnerable who rely on the arts and culture channel, a TV historian has warned.

The channel is under threat of being closed or filled with repeats as speculation grows that the broadcaster plans to plough money into programmes for younger viewers.

BBC Four, which most nights has fewer than a million viewers with an average age in their sixties, faces having the plug pulled just as the over-75s prepare to lose their free TV licences in August.

The BBC’s annual plan warns of a £79million deficit this year, and suggests the corporation will shift its focus towards BBC Three at the expense of BBC Four to win back younger audiences.

BBC Three, which has screened hits such as Fleabag and Normal People, is expected to return as a broadcast channel after it was moved online four years ago to make savings.

Dr Janina Ramirez, a British art and cultural historian and presenter of BBC Four shows such as Treasures Of The Anglo-Saxons and Museums In Quarantine, told Radio Times: ‘BBC4’s average audience age is apparently 62. Yet over the years, I’ve had enthusiastic teens and even schoolchildren tell me how much they enjoyed my programmes.

‘But if it’s serving older viewers then that’s worth protecting, too. There’s something to be said for a channel that appeals to those most vulnerable during this period of uncertainty.’

Dr Ramirez has worked with the channel for more than a decade. She said axing it would also have a negative impact on the relevance of the BBC, adding: ‘This isn’t just about “Saving BBC Four”. The problem is much broader.

‘The BBC is struggling to maintain its relevance in an ever more crowded world of content provision. As the coronavirus devastates the economy, the BBC will be left with a huge deficit. But is the answer really to write off the channel that more than any seems to fit Lord Reith’s promise to “inform, educate and entertain”?’

In a tweet, she said: ‘We NEED to let @bbc know we want @BBCFOUR to STAY!!!! . Shout about it or we lose it...... go!!!!’

The Oxford historian follows in the footsteps of BBC Four presenters Lucy Worsley and Waldemar Januszczak, who have both tried to rally viewers to help save the channel. Art critic Mr Januszczak tweeted this month: ‘Art lovers – am I sure BBC is trying to axe BBC4 under the cover of the Great Lockdown? No. But it’s information that’s been swirling around the newspaper world. And until someone from the BBC comes out and squashes the rumour, I’m inclined to believe it. Save BBC4.’

Historian Miss Worsley wrote: ‘New show on BBC 4 tonight – and long may those who love BBC4 continue to read those words!’

BBC Four’s fate could be confirmed by a new BBC director-general, with current boss Tony Hall’s replacement expected to be announced next month.

The closure threat has already prompted an outcry on social media from viewers, many of whom insist BBC Four is the main reason they pay the licence fee.

BBC chairman Sir David Clementi said ‘the BBC faces some very real financial challenges’ as it tries to make huge savings.

Earlier this year, BBC News announced it would be cutting around 450 jobs, and it revealed last week that it would have to cut costs further after losing an estimated £125million in income due to the coronavirus pandemic.