It started with a doughnut. Recently many a BBC star’s autobiography and/or column has mentioned the sad demise of the BBC Television Centre, notably Jennifer Saunders and David Mitchell’s memoirs (notably because they are the only ones that spring to mind right now). In 2013 it was partially closed, with complications due to its listed status as to what its final destiny may be as the purpose built structure that cannot be demolished, even if it was you can bet your TV License a group of luvvies would chain themselves to the gate.
Yesterday the government published its White Paper, outlining its proposals for the renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter which unsurprisingly involve a major overhaul to how the BBC is run. It has long been the culture secretary John Whittingdale’s desire to see the BBC Trust dissolved in order to overhaul how the BBC is regulated and now everything is falling into place. The new measures include:
1. A new mission statement for the BBC: “To act in the public interest, serving all audiences with impartial, high-quality, and distinctive media content and services that inform, educate and entertain.” Which is nice, because the BBC has famously neglected all of that.
2. A new unitary board which will govern the corporation, replacing the BBC Trust.
3. The BBC will have the ability to appoint the majority of its board, independent of government
4. Editorial decisions will be explicitly the responsibility of the director general
5. Ofcom will be given the power to regulate all BBC services.
Writing in the Guardian yesterday Lenny Henry highlighted the importance of the BBC focusing on promoting more diversity in its programming, hard to argue with. More visibility for minorities is vital for a BBC that reflects the license fee payer. Which brings us to the next part of the new measures introduced…
The paper also revealed plans for the license fee to continue for the next 11 years, to be linked to inflation and to include BBC iPlayer. The culture secretary acknowledged that the license fee was currently the best way of funding the BBC, however he believes as the media landscape changes it will become harder to sustain. “The Government therefore welcomes the BBC’s intention to explore whether additional revenue could be raised at home or abroad from additional subscription services, sitting alongside the core universal fee.” Quite what these additional subscription services might turn out to be concerned activists at 38 Degrees who recognise that it is vital the BBC remains independent from political interference in order to remain a public service. ITV put forward “the case for ‘a BBC which thinks and acts differently to the commercial market – taking risks, bringing on new talent, innovating constantly with new programmes and formats in everything it does’.”
It doesn’t take a Gogglebox family to know that to take risks on content and new talent and improve diversity your money has to either A. come from a benevolent dictator with a love for groundbreaking content, impartial reporting and disabled TV presenters or B. the general public. We haven’t got a benevolent dictator. Yet. We do have a general public, able to grumble about content (oh my goodness, BBC, never stop broadcasting Radio 4’s Feedback), stop astronomical star pay and demand better because dammit, we paid for this! And when it’s you putting the money in you can do this. Rather than watch a public broadcast that has to adhere either to a government’s agenda or some cereal company’s marketing plan.
There have been rumblings regarding David Cameron overruling his Culture Secretary regarding cuts and funding plans for the BBC, why does this matter? Because, like the NHS, the BBC is worth saving because it provides a vital service unique to Britain and yeah they have their faults. They also have a history and culture of nurturing incredible talent. In the comedy world it is most people’s ambition to work in some form for or at the BBC. The ambition had been to work at the doughnut. Well, that’s over. So fine, take away our doughnut, but you can never take our BBC.
