Claudia Winkleman and Chris Martin joined nearly 100 personalities starring in an extended advert promoting the BBC, screened ahead of the World Cup final, which the corporation hopes will win back millions of lost licence fee payers.
Released on Sunday, the three-minute and 45-seconds film brings together nearly 100 household names including Ruth Jones, Greg James, Mary Berry and Alan Carr, who ask the question “what has the BBC ever done for me?”
Although the BBC declined to say how much public money it spent on the campaign, it hopes the advert will halt a slump in people paying the £180 charge.
As the BBC’s promotion reads: “There is a BBC for each of us, funded by all of us – and should continue to be.”
Inspired by a similar 1986 film led by John Cleese, the updated version, voiced by Romesh Ranganathan, the BBC rolls out big names including Winkleman, who is seen pouring a pint of Traitors ale, and takes viewers on a whistlestop tour of hit BBC shows from Call the Midwife and Casualty to Strictly Come Dancing.
Romesh Ranganathan asks 90 personalities ‘what has the BBC ever done for me?’ in promotional film (BBC)World Cup final impact
Timed to be played with maximum impact during Sunday’s World Cup final coverage, which is expected to attract 15m viewers, the film is a last-ditch attempt to use a tournament which has delivered bumper ratings for the BBC, to win back lapsed licence fee payers.
Commentators have already been required to prompt viewers to pay the charge via an on-screen QR code before each England game. The BBC said it had recorded an uptick in payments as a result.
The boost in coverage comes at a time when the BBC said it could no longer sustain its public-service mission under the current funding model after a steeper than expected decline in licence fee payments.
A 539,000 drop in licence fees in force last year reduced the total number to 23.3 million.
Some 2.4m households have quit paying since 2020 with the BBC’s new boss, Matt Brittin, warning the current model is a busted flush” and warned that more programmes would be axed if the £180-a-year charge is not replaced by a “sustainable” funding mechanism.
Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones appears in the BBC advert (BBC)Louis Theroux warning
Beginning in EastEnders’ Queen Vic pub, Ranganathan then steps out onto the street, telling viewers how the BBC was responsible for “introducing the nation to Adele” and also offers Mary Berry, Glastonbury and “celebs on the telly”.
Pushing back against critics of the national broadcaster, he declares “stuff your Apprentice and Match Of The Day” before Louis Theroux appears in a studio with his hand hovering over a switch and warning that “none of this exists if we don’t want it to”.
Ranganathan reads out statistics that state the money the public pays to the BBC creates more than six and half billion pounds for the economy and thousands of jobs, which he adds sounds “pretty good” – a message BBC bosses hope will resonate with Andy Burnham’s new administration.
Documentarian Louis Theroux also makes an appearance in a promo it is hoped will claw back licence-fee payers (BBC)The campaign then highlights how the BBC delivers coverage of Wimbledon, “a love of nature” through shows including Springwatch, and even avoids having advertisements – except the one viewers are currently watching, the comic acknowledges.
The celebrity campaign launched “as the BBC enters a crucial period of Charter renewal discussions and seeks to demonstrate the priceless and unique role it has for everyone in the UK,” the broadcaster said.
BBC film an ‘epic challenge’
Robinson and Myrie both appear in the BBC advert, which talks up the broadcaster’s commitment to “verified news” and it’s wider impact to the UK.
Kerris Bright, BBC Chief Customer Officer, said the advert was “a huge creative and logistical challenge, involving days of filming, countless spreadsheets and lots of famous faces giving up their time to make their way to some of the BBC’s most iconic locations.”
The film was shot over six days, taking over locations from the Queen Vic pub to the BBC newsroom.
“Whilst it was brilliant to have so many famous faces who wanted to be involved, coordinating the schedules of our busy stars, alongside transport, wardrobe, makeup and filming slots across so many different locations was a logistical challenge of epic proportions,” she says.
BBC stars line up to appear in three-minute and 45 second film promoting broadcaster’s value (BBC)Cost not revealed
The BBC declined to say how much licence fee money was spent on the film littered with so many household names. A spokesperson said: “We don’t provide third party costs for commercial reasons.
“Like other broadcasters, we promote our services creatively to ensure audiences across the UK can get best value from the BBC. Creative development was done in-house, and the majority of people gave their time for free.”
The BBC used “audience research” to determine which personalities and programme brands made the cut.
The advert was designed to ask “What is the BBC for? Why does it matter? And what would we lose without it?,” Bright said. “The answers will be different for everyone.”
Romesh Ranganathan joins the Strictly Come Dancing dancers at the film’s climax (BBC)Moonlighting stars face pay cut
The BBC cited a funding gap between the 80 per cent of households still paying the charge and the 94 per cent of adults who actually use its services.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah said the corporation would also try to claw back cash from well-paid talent who “moonlight”, earning fees for giving speeches and chairing conferences.
The BBC’s external payments register shows Today presenter Nick Robinson, who earns up to £335,000, was paid more than £10,000 for a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development event.
Amol Rajan (£325,000), who leaves the BBC payroll in September, was paid more than £30,000 for corporate appearances in one month alone. Naga Munchetty and Clive Myrie have also taken on outside work.
“We’re going to factor that into the deal we do with them,” Shah told the Sunday Times. “They make a lot of money out of presenting for the BBC, in my view. Maybe their view is they don’t. But they leverage the fact that they present on the BBC [to get] gigs outside.”
Hence then, the article about the bbc s last ditch attempt to win back license fee payers with star studded ad was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The BBC’s last ditch attempt to win back license fee payers with star-studded ad )
Also on site :