TV licence fury: BBC chief's huge swipe at critics amid ‘greatest broadcaster’ claim
THE BBC's former Director General dodged questions over the licence fee and claimed the corporation to be the world's greatest broadcaster as fresh calls for the fee to be scrapped surfaced after hefty account expenditure was released.
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The BBC is facing fresh controversy over the licence fee after it published its projected accounts expenditure for the next five years. The eye-watering total came to £800,000 ‒ £160,000 a year ‒ which the BBC said would be “managed with best value for the licence fee payer in mind”. Calls for the corporation to scrap its licence fee - currently fixed at £157.50 a year - are, and have been for years, in abundnace.
Britons who avoid the fee and get caught face hefty fines, with prison a possibility but only a last resort.
Earlier this year over-75s were told that they would start having to pay the fee for the first time.
It came after the BBC announced it could no longer afford to subsidise millions of licences.
It said the new scheme is "the fairest decision", but the Government responded by describing the situation as "deeply frustrating".
BBC Chairman Sir David Clementi said the decision had "not been easy", but the broadcaster is under "under severe financial pressure" and a further delay would have had an impact on programmes.
The licence fee has been the subject all BBC bosses have had to face.
Mark Thompson, who served as Director-General from 2004 to 2012, is widely credited with bringing the broadcaster into the digital age.
In an interview with the New Statesman towards the end of his tenure, when discussing the viability of the licence fee going into the future and controversial staff expenses, Mr Thompson appeared to deflect criticism, and instead point to the importance of the corporation.
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Asked how the BBC could justify asking many cash-strapped Britons for the annual licence fee, for example, “a single mother on a council estate struggling to pay the bills,” Mr Thompson said: “That is true and important. The BBC is owned and paid for by the British public, many of whom are living on small incomes."
Mr Thompson went on to suggest that the BBC had to maintain its reputation and prestige as one of the world's best broadcasters.
He continued: “The licence fee is a significant expense, and it is very important that every penny of it is spent wisely.
“At the same time, you know, most people outside the UK and probably most people inside the UK want the BBC to be the world’s greatest and best broadcaster.
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“It costs us billions of pounds to be that.”
The BBC is governed by a Royal Charter which protects the licence fee until at least 2027.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken renewed aim at the broadcaster since he entered office last year.
His ministers say the corporation should be stripped of its Royal Charter when the time comes.
Mr Johnson's ire was focused on the BBC's flagship radio political programme, Today, previously banning ministers from speaking on the show.
Many sources from the Government have accused the BBC of overreach, claiming it has become too big and lost sight of its original public service credentials.
One source told The Times: “They should have a few TV stations, a couple of radio stations and massively curtailed online presence and put more money and effort into the World Service, which is part of its core job.”
Mr Thompson previously warned that the BBC's biggest challenge was in modernising its digital platforms, and keeping pace with competitors.
Tim Davie, who became the corporation's Director-General in September, has gone as far as to say that its future faces a "significant risk" and has "no alienable right to exist".
He has already ruled out shutting down channels or radio networks in the short term.
Although, he has said that he would "not hesitate to close channels if they do not offer value to our audiences".