Wake-up call the BBC simply cannot ignore

HOPELESSLY out of touch with its core audience, riddled with political correctness and Metropolitan Left-wing bias – and with a funding model unfit for the modern multimedia age.

this is the crushing verdict of our poll on public attitudes towards the BBC.

three- quarters of respondents believe our national broadcaster is more interested in making political points than balanced or entertaining programmes.

half the country believes it does not represent their views.

and across all ages there is deep resentment over the licence fee. a twothirds majority want it scrapped and replaced by voluntary subscription.

even larger numbers believe that nonpayment should be decriminalised and that plans to force over-75s to pay the fee should be scrapped.

fury over the ban on singing rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms has undoubtedly fuelled public anger. But incoming Director- General tim Davie would be profoundly unwise to imagine there isn’t a more deep-seated problem.

the BBC receives nearly £4billion a year in taxpayers’ cash. Our poll shows overwhelmingly those taxpayers don’t believe their money is being well spent. Mr Davie’s appointment can be a watershed moment. If he accepts that the Corporation needs radical reform in both funding and culture, he can lead it into the modern era with confidence.

Decriminalising non-payment must be the first step. failure to pay gas or water bills doesn’t involve the criminal courts. Why should the tV licence be different? he must slash BBC waste – cut top presenters’ massive salaries, streamline top-heavy management, and eliminate absurdities such as sending 300 staff to ‘cover’ the Glastonbury pop festival.

then there is the bias. It is so ingrained that it will take formidable force of will to change it. But that is a crucial part of Mr Davie’s mission if public faith is to be restored. there is much to admire about the BBC. Its nature programmes, sport, drama, and some (though sadly not all) of its news output.

But there are serious questions over the licence fee which will not go away. Is it too high? Should the BBC pull in its horns and charge less? Is this the right funding model at all in the 21st century?

the Corporation can either recognise that change is coming and embrace it. Or it can continue sticking its head in the sand, in which case that change will have to be imposed from the outside.

either way, as our poll vividly shows, the status quo is increasingly unsustainable.