No wonder half of Britons feel national broadcaster doesn’t share their values

NEARLY half of Britons believe the BBC no longer shares their values, according to a new poll.

Research by YouGov has revealed that 44 per cent of the public now think the Corporation represents their views badly.

Forty-eight per cent of older voters and 58 per cent of those who had voted to leave the European Union were unhappy with its overall direction.

The research, which was carried out on behalf of The Times, found that only four per cent of those questioned t hought t he BBC’s values had become more l i ke theirs, while 33 per cent said it had become less like theirs.

Older male viewers outside London and the South East were the most likely to be dissatisfied with the BBC’s perceived values. The findings come at particularly sensitive time for the BBC. In November, the Government opened the latest round of licence fee negotiations and asked the BBC to submit a bid for the level of the fee from 2022 onwards.

Ministers have also appointed a ten-strong panel to review the longterm future of public- service broadcasting in the UK, fuelling speculation that the licence fee could be scrapped altogether in its current form.

Sir Robbie Gibb, a former No 10 director of communications who has been appointed to the panel, told The Times: ‘ These findings show why the BBC’s directorgeneral, Tim Davie, is right to make improving impartiality his No 1 priority.’

Roger Mosey, a former head of BBC Television News, said: ‘The BBC is more in tune with a metropolitan and more liberal audience than it is with the rest of the country. The positive thing is that I’m certain Tim Davie is on the case.

‘Top of the agenda for me would be real devolution to centres outside London and a much deeper understanding of audiences.’

Ex-BBC executive David Elstein, who went on to launch Channel 5, said: ‘If people don’t think you are impartial, and don’t think you represent their views or culture, eventually it will become very hard to sustain the BBC’s current funding model.’

The new YouGov findings are believed to correspond to private research by the BBC that shows the Corporation is held in higher esteem by residents in well-off and more diverse neighbourhoods.

A BBC spokesman said last night: ‘Recent research shows that people still connect with our core mission to inform, educate and entertain, and our purposes remain relevant.

‘Recently, over 90 per cent of people are using our services every week. We are valued specifically because we do not champion any party political positions.

‘ However, the director- general has made it very clear the BBC must work hard to represent a very broad section of views, ensuring we continue to widen the number of perspectives across our output.’