Does the BBC favour the younger viewer?

Ian lavender who played Private Frank Pike, the young mollycoddled member in the comedy Dads Army, who is now 69 years old, has said that the BBC ignores older viewers in favour of younger ones.

He is the last surviving platoon member ofthe Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard and says the BBC would not make the classic comedy today because the corporation ignores older viewers in favour of the young.

He said “I do think that Dads Army came from a golden era and that today everything is niche-driven and programme makers-not just the BBC- make programmes for 25-35 year old’s”. He also said that “This attitude seems to me to be strangely odd as you have a population whose top end is growing”

A BBC spokesman said “We offer a broader range of world class programming than any other broadcaster all for just £2.80 per week”

What’s you view? Are there more programmes produced today that are biasing a younger audience or has it always been the same? Is Ian Lavender right that the 60’s and 70’s was a “Golden Era” for comedy programmes? What is or was your favourite TV comedy?