BBC chief Tim Davie told to resign over Huw Edwards shame as pensioners still hounded

A tireless campaigner for pensioners has demanded that Tim Davie pack his bags and resign for presiding over yet another BBC scandal.

Dennis Reed, who is best known for his campaigns on protecting the Triple Lock and other pensioner entitlements, told the Express today that the Huw Edwards disgrace should not distract from the fact today is also the 4th anniversary of the “cruel” scrapping of free TV licences for the over 75s.

Mr Reed fumed: “Tim Davie and his executive cronies are still chasing hundreds of thousands of older people for non-payment of licence fees, with one of our members having received 41 threatening letters in the last four years.”

Since the scrapping of the licence fee for the over 75s there have been countless examples of the cruel hounding of older viewers, who did not realise they were now required to pay up.

Mr Reed said the blame for both Mr Edwards and the punishment of elderly licence fee payers lies squarely at the door of the BBC’s director general.

He told the Express: “There is a golden thread running through the last four years, which is a lack of social responsibility by BBC executives, including a refusal to do anything to help licence payers during the cost of living crisis and the recent scandal involving Huw Edwards.

“The central character in all this has been Tim Davie and it is time for him to pack his bags.”

Mr Reed’s fury comes as the Defund the BBC campaign said that the BBC’s reputation now lies “in tatters” following the latest scandal surrounding one of its most prominent stars.

Rebecca Ryan, campaign director of the group, said that the revelation Mr Edwards was paid hundreds of thousands by licence fee payers following his suspension and arrest “will rightly incense many people across the country”.

Defund the BBC blasted: “What were the BBC thinking in continuing to pay someone arrested for such heinous crimes?”

"Defund the BBC often accuses the broadcaster of being out of touch. On this occasion, "out of touch" does not begin to describe it.

"The BBC has extremely serious questions to answer on this.

"License Fee payers have once again been treated appallingly. The corporation's reputation is, once again, in tatters."

The culture secretary Lisa Nandy is meeting with Mr Davie today to demand answers over who knew what when regarding Mr Edwards’ arrest.

It’s been reported that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have major concerns about the broadcaster’s handling of its latest scandal, not least due to the involvement of taxpayers’ money.

After the BBC learned of their star presenter’s arrest last year, they continued to pay him his whopping £480,000 salary for a further five months.

Ms Nandy’s demand for a meeting echoes concerns raised by her Tory opposite Julia Lopez, who said that licence fee payers “have a right to know”.

She said: “Licence fee payers have a right to know why Mr Edwards was awarded such a high salary given the timing and nature of the allegations”.

“Questions must be answered about what BBC bosses knew and for how long.”