As a retired couple, we predominantly watch the BBC for our entertainment. We would be utterly shocked if anything happened to it. We consider it as much a part of British life as the NHS. In fact, the clue is in the name – the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The Beeb is respected around the world as a fair and honest news outlet and, as such, should not be destroyed for making the odd mistake. Having said that, the culprits who edited the Trump Panorama should be made to pay for their error, but I do not believe that the director-general should have resigned.
The quality of programmes is extraordinarily high, which justifies the licence fee. At the current rate of £180 or £15 per month, this amount is, in the great scheme of things, nothing, even for retired folk.
There are certain things that make life in Britain worthwhile and the BBC is one of them.
Ann and Ray LevettTiptree, Essex
The BBC is a very rare and precious jewel still gleaming in the nations’ crown. That said, the Corporation is in danger of becoming less relevant in the eyes of the viewers and listeners and, therefore, losing its way amid the plethora of commercial broadcasting and platforms. It’s not the BBC’s fault… It inevitably gets harder for one voice to be heard against an ever-expanding multitude of opposing voices.
But it does call for each and every one of us to rally round to keep the heart of this one-off institution fully and healthily beating. Because if we don’t, there will soon be no BBC and British broadcasting would then crumble, leaving us with a global broadcasting/media sector that is meaningless and pointless.
I do find the present BBC output generally less personally attractive than I used to. The BBC and I go back a long way [I am in my 60s] and I’ve increasingly felt alienated by schedules across radio and television pandering to a younger audience market. But the BBC also possesses the biggest, widest and most valuable archive of programmes across the last hundred years. It’s vital that the BBC releases and makes available this full treasure store.
Mrs C HarrisonGlasgow
I am 75 and have gone from Bill and Ben to Pointless. I am not going to desert her now. I love the BBC, warts and all, and will fight on the barricades to protect her.
Not long ago I saw a snippet of TV where Al Pacino was on the red carpet at some premiere in America. All the media were being ignored by him until one reporter shouted out that he was from the BBC. Pacino stopped in his tracks, exhaled, smiled and said “Wow!” Then gave a mini interview. Need I say more?
Barry KetchellWhitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
I cannot begin to express how strongly I feel about the BBC. You have only to watch what is going on in the USA at the moment to understand just how much the BBC is a bulwark – perhaps the only one – of our democracy.
Hard-hitting interviewers like Jeremy Paxman, and more recently Nick Robinson, Sarah Montague, Sue Mitchell and so many others hold politicians and others to account in a way that the press corps in the US seems incapable of doing.
I am in awe of the ability of BBC journalists to stand up to bullying, maintain their composure and remain polite under fire and in the national spotlight, in order to ask questions on behalf of the ordinary people of Britain. I am furious that a few minor mistakes seem to provide some sort of excuse to try and destroy a precious, irreplaceable resource.
I couldn’t begin to list all the programmes that have given me pleasure over the years, on the radio (standouts are The World at One, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and Just a Minute), TV (Strictly, Shetland, Question Time) and podcasts (To Catch a Scorpion, Ukrainecast).
Please, please, please, fight Donald Trump and all the right-wing critics who think only of their own short-term self-interest.
Personally, I am in favour of the BBC being funded through either the licence fee or general taxation, because it is a national resource, and vital to the health of our democracy. Whether people use it or not, we all depend on it for truthful, objective reporting and political accountability.
Andrea CloughBrighton
“Inform, educate, and entertain”? When the BBC was set up, it had a monopoly of the air waves. This is no longer the case. Should it still try to be all things to all [wo]men?
I still think that the Beeb has an important role in informing, particularly in a world where misinformation and disinformation are rife. Educate, too, which can take many forms, not just the schools-directed programmes that were so valuable when I was young, but in documentaries at which the Beeb often excels.
In entertainment, the Beeb has a long history of quality comedy and period dramas. This is being progressively squeezed out by various subscription providers. Should it not cut back this provision?
I doubt whether there is anyone who could truthfully say that they never tune into a BBC radio programme, whether news or entertainment. BBC TV, on the other hand, has so many competitors that it can hardly justify the present massive output.
The modern world is drowning in output. There is a case for restricting it to strict quality and reducing the number of main channels. Two would suffice.
We pay for our public services, and it is arguable that the core BBC provides just that, through general taxation. I can see no alternative to that. It should be ring-fenced and index-linked. This will protect it from government interference.
Trevor Rigg Edinburgh
As far as TV is concerned, the BBC is needed. Can you imagine a world where everything was like ITV? There would be no point in having a TV or a radio, because Radio 4 is one of the greatest things we have.
People always talk about the licence fee, but think about it this way. If you went to see something like the FA Cup Final, Wimbledon, an international sporting event or Glastonbury, you would pay more for that one event than you do for the entire year of watching all of the above and more.
There is competition out there, it is said, but I’m sorry, there isn’t, really, because no one makes TV and radio as good as the BBC. I’m not saying they are perfect – I would rather have the world rid of things like The Traitors and Mrs Brown’s Boys – but you can’t have everything.
Ian ReidVia Facebook
I’m a keen radio listener and do my best to follow, in particular, Radio 3 – I rarely miss an episode of Soweto Kinch’s Round Midnight and on Sunday evenings the delightful Words and Music – and Radio 4’s culture and science output. The ability of the BBC’s channels to stimulate, inform and educate is unmatched elsewhere.
In criticism of the BBC the phrase “too metropolitan” comes up a lot. I find the exact opposite: every kind of accent can be heard many times a day representing every part of the land. Maybe what people are really objecting to is the measured tone.
For those who are right-leaning the BBC is too left and for those who are left-leaning it’s too right. Do the critics not ever hear the skill of the BBC’s reporters and news presenters at playing devil’s advocate? The will to be balanced seems clear enough to me. Could it be that its critics simply don’t listen to enough BBC!
Charles le BekBristol
I personally would be lost without BBC 6 Music, Radio 2, and Radio 3, BBC news and the BBC’s entertainment shows, the website, those shared TV events (Olympics, Euros, The Traitors, Line of Duty), BBC4 films and foreign dramas.
But I also appreciate that just because Radio 1Xtra isn’t meant for me, that doesn’t mean it should be scrapped. The BBC is a national broadcaster and it has to strike a balance to provide for all sorts of people. No other broadcaster would do that.
I couldn’t begin to list all the programmes that have given me such pleasure over the years.
Heather StroudLeicester
I’m glad to have the opportunity to express how much I appreciate the BBC. A friend and I have agreed that at the age of 81 we would be prepared to take part in public demonstrations to defend it. It is a main pillar of our democracy and stability.
I trust it. It has made mistakes and it has to be extra-vigilant at every level of decision-making because there are people who want to bring it down. In this age of fakery, populism and falsehood it is the ultimate barricade against corrupt, manipulative and authoritarian power and the defender of truth.
I travelled widely when I was working and had the opportunity to experience the media in various countries. I found nothing that compared to the quality of TV and radio in the UK and observed how much the BBC is respected abroad. I cannot stress enough the importance of public broadcasting.
Honesty, integrity, balance and fearlessness must remain its principles. The freedom from commercial pressure and political influence is priceless. In the age of social media and the power of the big commercial corporations the BBC and independent press are the ultimate defenders of our freedom. I am grateful for and admiring of the courage of investigative journalists.
I appreciate the BBC for challenging the political and social status quo, accessing public opinion, maintaining the profile of our cultural traditions and our history and representing who we are. To me the BBC represents the best of who we are.
Denise OutenLeicester
Seeing it from a German perspective, you should be proud of your BBC. It is miles better than everything we have to suffer over here (and cheaper with it). And best of all it is non-commercial – which is worth gold these days. So, stop writing it down. The BBC is still a national treasure.
Wolfgang KonigHeidelberg, Germany
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