The Daily Telegraph

BBC Four disappears

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SIR – The BBC has announced that it is to stop broadcasti­ng on BBC Four (report, May 27).

The corporatio­n began 100 years ago as a public broadcaste­r to inform and educate. In more recent years it has forgotten this mission and focused on creating mediocre entertainm­ent and reality shows. BBC Four is the only one of its channels that even pretends to educate and now that is to perish.

The irony is that if the BBC were to become a subscripti­on channel, the only areas worthy of purchase are informatio­n and education.

John Hanson

Canterbury, Kent

SIR – How does the BBC justify making BBC Four online only when, just four months ago, it reinstated the unwatchabl­e BBC Three from online only to convention­al broadcast?

Max Ingram

Emneth, Norfolk

SIR – In 2019 the BBC announced that free licences for over-75s would be scrapped and that, from 2020, the standard £159 for a licence would apply.

Since then it has brought back BBC Three, a channel aimed at a younger demographi­c it has already lost and has little chance of regaining.

In May, it announced an average pay rise of 5.2 per cent. This week we heard that BBC Four – a channel likely to be watched by older viewers – will no longer be on Freeview and will be available online only. Ever get the feeling you’re being cheated?

Jon Salt

Egham, Surrey

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