What does the BBC mean to you? David Hare, playwright Alongside the NHS and the welfare state, it’s the finest expression of mid-20th-century public idealism. And it’s also the insane bureaucracy that George Orwell satirised in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Yanis Varoufakis, co-founder of DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025) and former Greek finance minister During the dictatorship in which I grew up in Greece, the BBC (along with Deutsche Welle) offered a window on to a happier world where one could think and speak without being crushed. Later, from my late teens till now, BBC World Service and Radio 4 became the soundtrack of my days and (especially) nights. As for BBC TV, its occasional flourishes kept me hopeful that screens do not have to be filled with trash all of the time – that the tyranny of the spectacle can, occasionally, give way to visual enlightenment. Meera Syal, comedian and writer The BBC gave me a home to take my work to when other broadcasters were too nervous about ratings/audience reactions/commercial value. That’s what so many of us with new or unheard voices held so precious – its commitment to being a public broadcaster serving the whole of the nation. Jimmy McGovern, screenwriter and producer At the BBC I’m given the opportunity to write a drama in the way I think best. I’ll listen to ideas, yes, and if they’re good, I’ll use them (and claim them as my own). If they’re not good, I’ll ignore them. I will then rewrite and rewrite and rewrite and when it’s as good as I can possibly make it the BBC will film it and transmit it – with not one single interruption. You do not get that anywhere else. It has its downside. A BBC hour is about 30% longer than an ITV hour so you work harder but get paid less. You get less to make it with as well. But it’s worth it. Riley Carter Millington, actor I will always be so grateful to the BBC for creating a landmark moment in history by casting me as the first trans actor to play a transgender role in UK soap history [as Kyle Slater in EastEnders]. It’s pretty special, right? The BBC not only gave me a chance, and hope for my career, it provided the UK and the world a symbol of hope by representing more people from our diverse culture. It also opened up the possibilities for many others. Simon Schama, historian Living as I do much of the time in the US I know for sure that the BBC is the absolute best of Britain. By comparison public service broadcasting in America is an undernourished, earnestly conventional thing. Only the BBC would have commissioned me to make a 15-part history of Britain or an eight-part Power of Art. That creative confidence must be part of the country’s future. Victorian Coren Mitchell, writer and TV presenter Whenever I hear “BBC”, I immediately picture Terry Wogan hosting a Christmas Blankety Blank. I know I should think of the news or natural history documentaries. But truthfully it’s that. I could as soon hear “BBC” and not think of Terry, embodying clever light entertainment, as I could hear the word “horse” and not think of a horse. Melvyn Bragg, broadcaster and author It means the finest and most democratic cultural and entertainment medium in this country and arguably the world. Over 100 years, its numerous, often niche, often quirky programmes have dug themselves into the daily lives of millions, and they still do. Alongside the monarchy and parliament, it is the most defining institution we have. David Mitchell, author A lighthouse in the dark. Tony Parsons, author Teacher. Friend. An only child’s most constant companion. Kenneth Wolstenholme on the football. Harry Carpenter on boxing. Watching Top of the Pops every Thursday night, my dad eating his dinner on his lap and staring aghast at David Bowie doing Starman. Lolita Chakrabarti, actor and writer It’s where I discovered stories – Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, Victoria Wood’s As Seen on TV, Roots. It’s where I got my first TV job 30 years ago, saying one line as Bill Nighy’s secretary. It’s where I sometimes work in radio, TV drama and occasionally, documentary. It has been an inspiration, a possibility and a closed door. Dreda Say Mitchell, writer and broadcaster It means getting all cosy on a Sunday at nine at night with a cup of hot chocolate watching edge-of-your-seat drama. It means children having access to a range of high-quality educational material in a variety of media. It means producing and supporting programmes and projects that are aimed at specific communities. George Monbiot, writer and environmental activist While the BBC does excellent work in many areas, its news and current affairs have caused immeasurable harm. It platforms any far-right blowhard who can generate noise on social media, while excluding almost everyone to the left of Keir Starmer. It bears much of the responsibility for the rise of both Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. Clara Amfo, Radio 1 presenter The BBC to me is a trusted constant. When I look back on my childhood, there isn’t a single year where I don’t remember a TV or radio programme to instantly transport me back. David Nicholls, novelist and screenwriter There were three branches to my education: school, the public library and the BBC. I was raised on that unique mix of documentaries and sitcoms and cinema too. David Attenborough and Morecambe and Wise, Play for Today and the Nine O’Clock News. This isn’t just nostalgia. I’ve watched my own kids progress from Teletubbies to Horrible Histories to the latest Adam Curtis. There’s wonderful TV out there from all over the world but no one else is making this rich, wild combination. It would be a terrible act of cultural self-sabotage to let it fade out. Alan Bennett, playwright For a start, no commercials. Inexpensive (astonishingly so). Sober. Truth telling. Various. And, like the NHS, close to the public’s heart. Embodied by David Attenborough and on radio by Sue MacGregor (The Reunion). On TV David Olusoga’s A House Through Time is a recent treasure. Ken Loach, film-maker The BBC has produced brilliant and original work, helped to define how we see ourselves, and attracted dedicated and talented people. But at its heart is a contradiction. It is the embodiment of public service broadcasting, and should reflect the interests of us all. It is also controlled, through appointments and funding, by the government. The BBC resolves this by speaking for the establishment, defending it from those on the left who threaten its power and privileges, and those on the right whose recklessness and extremism are dangerous. Fiction or documentaries may promote critical, even subversive, ideas, but writing the news can only be entrusted to those who toe the line. In short, the BBC is the voice of the ruling class, urbane and benign when confident, ruthless when threatened. Defend public service broadcasting, democratise the BBC! Adjoa Andoh, actor Dad listening to the World Service in the night, discovering punk with John Peel, Dad’s Army, no advertising-led editorial pressure, Panorama, [Here Come the] Double Deckers, Giri/Haji, fearless reporting, Ab Fab, Boys from the Blackstuff, Strictly, dearly beloved, infuriating but accountable, Attenborough, Lenny, Newsnight, imperfection but in all the world uniquely ours. Stephen Merchant, actor, writer and director The BBC gave me my big break. I was a BBC trainee and I was given an exercise to direct a short documentary. Instead, I called my friend Ricky Gervais and we made a fake documentary, which became The Office. Not only did that show change our lives but it became a small part of the cultural fabric of the UK, like so many other BBC programmes before or since, whether it’s Fawlty Towers or Fleabag. Jeffrey Boakye, author and broadcaster The BBC, to me, has always felt like a point of contact. A meeting place. A means of exposure to places, times, ideas and cultures that I would otherwise have had little, or limited, access to. At its best, the BBC isn’t just a window to the world, but a door of invitation too. Peter Hennessy, historian I am ​nearly 75 now and from the days when I listened with my mum as a tiny boy to Listen With Mother the BBC has been part of the daily rhythm of my life. Key for me is the thinking and analysing aloud role the BBC plays in the life of the nation, particularly through Radio 4 – Today, The World at One, PM and The World Tonight. They handle the breaking stories, the big themes in our national life that won’t go away, providing a running commentary that is crucial for my ​now fading ​little grey cells. Martha Kearney, Radio 4 Today presenter There’s a reason that Auntie is a nickname for the BBC. Like any family we grumble sometimes but are secretly proud. Over three decades I’ve worked with some incredibly committed and talented people who really are dedicated to providing the best news and current affairs possible. Invaluable in an increasingly shrill world. Sunder Katwala, director of the thinktank British Future The BBC introduced me to the World Cup, aged eight; to comedy and pop; and to politics and world events as a teenager. In polarised times, it’s ever more important for the BBC to still invite tens of millions of us to share national moments that can bridge divides. Agnès Poirier, journalist and writer Those three letters will always conjure up for me the image of my grandparents Madeleine and Marcel in occupied Normandy during the war going to the cellar at night to listen on the wireless to the “voice from London”, the only one that told the truth and gave the facts. Collective memory is a strong muscle. Today, the BBC is Britain’s soft power incarnated. There is no greater tool to its influence in the world. Carol Morley, film-maker The BBC feels like a member of my extended family. Growing up, the telly was always on, and usually set to BBC as there were no adverts, so it was a formative part of my life – and I still love it. Tanya Moodie, actor Familiarity, comfort, quality. Emma Rice, theatre director I have spent a life on tour; a life filled with surprise and instability. The BBC tours with me. It is consistent, infuriating, entertaining and comforting – just like family! I fall asleep to Newscast and wake to Today. The Archers keeps me close to my mum, even when I am on the other side of the planet. The BBC glues my life together. Gina Miller, entrepreneur and campaigner In a healthy democracy there is no freedom more sacred than freedom of expression. In peace and war, in booms and recessions, irrespective of the party in government, the BBC has stood up for that right like a shining beacon. As a child of the Commonwealth listening to the BBC World Service, it gave me an important sense of the world, Britain and how connected we all are. Abi Morgan, playwright and screenwriter I left my waitressing job on a £500 commission for the BBC. On paper this was a project that never got made, but what it gave me was priceless. The process of development, the producers, directors and script editors I worked with along the way, offered a masterclass in screenwriting, much of which I still draw on today. Indhu Rubasingham, artistic director of the Kiln theatre The BBC is more than an institution. It is the backbone of our cultural identity, which unites and divides. We admire, respect and reject it in equal measures as we do a close family member, because we take it for granted. But like the NHS, its erosion and the potential for it being dismantled is to our peril. Adrian Lester, actor For me, the BBC sets the gold standard for documentaries, children’s programming, situation comedies, dramas and especially news coverage that has been emulated all over the world. James Naughtie, special correspondent for BBC News Integrity, imagination and adventure. Trustworthy news and a commitment to discovery in the arts, entertainment and sport. The knowledge that it is a relentlessly self-critical broadcaster and never in thrall to commercial interests nor to any government that tries to sap its strength. Gavin Turk, artist To me the BBC means British culture, the state of the nation collected, collated and shared. It means no adverts, 6music, the News, the World Service, David Attenborough. The BBC means television to me, an education, an inspiration and sometimes a distraction. Sonia Friedman, theatre impresario The BBC is our constant. It makes me feel safe. It ensures an uninterrupted, essential thread runs through our media, news, culture, keeping us interconnected, across space and around the clock. It’s at its best when it puts storytellers at its centre, and if it remains committed to and captivated by this country’s unique creative culture, it will be with us for another 100 years. Sathnam Sanghera, journalist and author My life would have been very different if the BBC hadn’t adapted my memoir, The Boy With the Topknot, if it wasn’t around as a platform on which to discuss books, and if, as a child, it hadn’t opened my mind up to worlds beyond mine. Jason Cowley, editor of the New Statesman If there’s still such a thing as the national conversation it is facilitated by the BBC, which throughout the pandemic performed an invaluable public service. In this period of intense polarisation and fragmentation, the corporation is trusted. I accept that in the age of Netflix, the licence fee seems anachronistic. Yet it may be the worst funding model apart from all the others. So cherish the BBC rather than traduce or break it up. We will miss when it has gone. Malorie Blackman, children’s writer A great British institution, admired, revered and trusted around the world. An institution that is owned by all of us via the TV licence. Steve McQueen, film-maker and artist Well, it’s always been there, like the sky is blue and the grass is green. In the working-class house where I grew up, the TV was always on and the BBC was a constant. It’s part of my DNA. I never had books in my house, apart from the Bible and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, so to have ideas coming through the screen that were engaging and entertaining and challenging was fantastic for a young person. What’s the biggest threat to the BBC? Simon Schama That it becomes a political football, with the consequence that its creative oxygen, integrity of reporting, the fearlessness of debate are all suffocated by the partisan sabotage of funding. The capacity of the BBC to take us out of the parochial and connect us with the rest of the world has never been more indispensable. Clive Myrie, BBC journalist and Mastermind presenter Without doubt, the biggest threat is a society that no longer cares for objectivity and impartiality. An unbiased, fair representation of all sides in an argument, given due weight, is not what a growing number of people and, increasingly, our political class want. They would like their own views affirmed, their beliefs given primacy. To dare to put the other side makes you the enemy. Too many in our increasingly polarised world want propaganda. That is not what the BBC is about and never should be. Jean Seaton, historian and director of the Orwell Foundation In 1922, “press barons” would have strangled the BBC at birth if they had understood how important it was going to be. Now, vast groups with a direct financial interest in a smaller BBC and not a wisp of concern for British citizens are in coalition with malignant forces that wish to reshape UK politics by stealth. Tony Parsons The same as the Church of England and the Labour party’s biggest problem. It alienates – often seems to openly despise – the very people who love it the most. The BBC self-evidently must be a broadcaster for the entire nation and yet it reveals a naked political bias that you see everywhere, from BBC Two’s Newsnight to Radio 4’s Today show. Ali Smith, author The current inhabitants of Downing Street. It doesn’t surprise me that, determined to rewrite “British values” while they have us do as they say, not as they do, they would have the BBC in their sights, an institution whose massive, interconnected and layered resource of thought and history and art and knowledge and analysis has presented us over the century with the like of 1,000 libraries in the home and whose attempts at remaining unbiased in a partisan time like this are crucial. Peter Kosminsky, director and producer of film and TV The creative industries are a massive revenue-generator for this country. And the BBC is the jewel in that crown, an instantly recognisable brand all over the world. In the time of “fake news”, as truth itself is increasingly derided and devalued, the BBC is more valuable, here and overseas, than ever. The greatest threat to the organisation comes from successive governments, blinded by narrow political self-interest, which starve it of funds rather than nurturing and protecting it. Russell T Davies, screenwriter and producer Rupert Murdoch. He’s just an exemplar of the forces at play, but look at what’s he’s done. Take, say, just two months in 2020. On 8 August, Murdoch had dinner with Michael Gove; 26 August, lunch with Rishi Sunak; 14 September, he met Priti Patel; 18 September, Boris Johnson; 25 September, Jacob Rees-Mogg (officially listed as “an informal lunch with friends”). Good work. Well played. We’re the stupid ones, letting this happen. Steve McQueen Stupidity. The BBC is one of the few things we have in this country that binds people together. And if you want to destroy that, then you want to destroy the community. This is not to say that the BBC is always right, but how do we make it better? We need to build on success, not dismantle success. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. John Humphrys, broadcaster The loss of young listeners and viewers. They don’t want (or need) its news or its entertainment. Everything they do need is on their phones or tablets. If they can get it when they want it, why should they wait for the BBC to schedule it? Kit de Waal, author The biggest threat to the BBC comes from anyone and anything that seeks to control narrative, from those who want to shape – politically – what we hear, see, learn, what is examined, dramatised and reported and, most importantly, what is not reported, particularly factual and news. Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, producer of Gogglebox Hostile politicians who rarely watch television and are ideologically opposed to a well-resourced, impartial, trusted and critical force, funded outside the free market system. Melvyn Bragg A government that seems wilfully blind to the value of the BBC, here in the UK and worldwide. Iain Dale, publisher and political commentator The BBC itself. Rather than continually defending an out-of-date funding system, it should get on the front foot and come up with its own proposals. Threats are also opportunities. The BBC also needs to work out what it is for in 2022, rather than 1972. Jack Thorne, screenwriter I think it’s facing two threats: first, a belief that it can copy an international streamer model. That we have the market and possibility here to replicate how Netflix, Disney and Amazon operate (all currently with operating losses). Second, a Tory government in search of something to kick. And if you look back in history, that’s always been the case. Churchill wasn’t too nice to the BBC in 1926. Bernardine Evaristo, author The Conservative party, which makes false claims about the broadcaster’s leftwing political bias, and rightwing media barons who want to demolish the competition. Mark Gatiss, actor, screenwriter, director and producer Rupert Murdoch. It’s not like it’s a secret agenda. He means to destroy the BBC and has been waging his tabloid war against it for decades. Now it’s bearing rotten fruit. David Hare, playwright and director Ingratiation. Instead of standing up for its own independence, the BBC has chosen the path of sucking up to government by neutering its drama department and censoring all mention of Brexit. Unsurprisingly, the government has rewarded the current BBC management with contempt. Stuart Murphy, chief executive of English National Opera Its centre of gravity still feels old, white, conservative, male, southern. Plus, it needs to limit its sprawl. Zeb Soanes, Radio 4 announcer and the voice of the Shipping Forecast Apathy. Esther Rantzen, television presenter and campaigner Desperation, which could cause them to lose the confidence they need to commission the most innovative new programmes or recommission the best loved old ones. They must stay strong and withstand politically motivated attacks, and those inspired by the malicious envy of competitors, while prioritising the needs and tastes of the British public. Bonnie Greer, playwright, critic and broadcaster People’s misunderstanding of the reason for its existence. Having lived in this country almost half my life, it still astounds me how so many people don’t understand what is unique about the BBC. It is our superpower. Hugh Bonneville, actor 1) The culture secretary. 2) Politicians and their dependence on the handful of proprietors who run the majority of UK media. 3) Self-immolation. 4) Privatisation. Monica Dolan, actor Not realising its own worth. That and the fact that the number of subscription channels has given us, the public, an illusion of choice that creates a false impression that [not having] the BBC might not be a loss. Sarah Gavron, film director If steps are taken that undermine the BBC’s ability to make content without a commercial imperative, I worry a precious element of British life will be undone. We’ve got to ensure the BBC is able to keep relevant and maintain its global reach. James Graham, playwright and screenwriter In this age of greater factionalism, where the left believe the BBC is aggressively right wing and the right think it’s unquestionably left wing, where it once felt like all things to all people, it might now be seen as not enough for anyone. We can all find our own news, drama and art that reflect the world back to us as we’d like to see it, rather than be surprised or provoked. Forgetting, in fact, what public service broadcasting is. Huw Edwards, News at Ten anchor The biggest threat to the BBC would be failing to make an assertive case for public service broadcasting. The media landscape is crowded with big commercial and political interests. So the BBC, with its commitment to fair, impartial journalism, is more important than ever. Stephen Merchant Aside from rival media organisations, the biggest threat are the craven politicians who drone on about bias, even though when I was a BBC trainee it was drummed into us that shows had to be balanced. More worryingly, they don’t seem to care that the BBC is a cornerstone of the relatively level-headed TV news coverage in this country. By removing the Beeb, we’ll undoubtedly slide into American-style partisan news. I spend a lot of time in the US and I’ve yet to find a trustworthy news outlet over there. I always end up turning back to the BBC. Ayesha Hazarika, journalist and political commentator Rightwing zealots and its own failure fight back and make its case with confidence. It also needs to recognise that it must attract new viewers who are not just older, white conservatives obsessed with culture wars. Abi Morgan That we underestimate the value of its brand. In an age of prolific new media and a world of fake news, the BBC still garners global respect, for its impartiality and ability to bring the great and the good to account. Yes, it has its critics, yes, it doesn’t always get it right, but take it away and we lose a vital vertebra in our cultural backbone. Mark Littlewood, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs The world has changed since the BBC’s halcyon days and the biggest threat is that the corporation itself clings on to a “better yesterday” type of approach. The BBC is now a much smaller part of our cultural life and this is, overall, a good thing. But it does mean the BBC needs to seriously consider its future as a niche producer, not a general one. Thirty years ago, the BBC might have been considered a world leader in comedy and drama, but this is no longer the case. If the corporation doesn’t realise that and then adapt accordingly, it will go the same way as Kodak. Samira Ahmed, journalist and broadcaster The failure by those in positions of power to live by BBC values – whether in standing up for honesty, transparency, audience representation, and equality in pay and treatment, or in appreciating the dedicated professional public service of the vast majority of its rank and file, who genuinely get what the BBC is about. Richard Sambrook, emeritus professor of journalism at Cardiff University and former director of BBC News If the public want it, the BBC will survive. But as support erodes under ideological attack, changing media habits and technology, it must redefine the need for public service media – in a polarised era riddled with disinformation, discord and inequality, it’s badly needed. Nicola Shindler, producer of Queer as Folk, Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax I think the political threat is the most worrying, that politicians don’t want an independent, probing national media company. The threats from streaming and the changing nature of how content is consumed can all be managed. Mark Damazer, former controller of Radio 4 The draining of resources, by which I mean the real value of the licence fee, together with the political pressure constantly placed on the BBC, will mean that it will no longer be able to attract the talent to be able to continue making the kinds of programmes it has been making for 100 years. People have always worked for the BBC because of its special resonance and purpose in our national life, getting paid less than they would do working for other organisations. It’s a potent brand, a kind of alchemy. But if it continues to be squeezed politically and financially, the point will come where they stop doing that and its prestige will therefore be eroded. Mel Giedroyc, actor, comedian and television presenter The people within it being afraid. I don’t want it to be the Beige Boring Corporation. To keep producing extraordinary output such as Time [Jimmy McGovern’s prison drama], I May Destroy You and This Country – you have to have fearless people in there. Shaun Keaveny, radio presenter This government’s longstanding antipathy. Plus the historically unwieldy nature of its management. As a 100-year-old institution the BBC sometimes struggles to be, and be seen as, cutting-edge. Martha Lane Fox, philanthropist and campaigner If it were unable to innovate and stay as high quality and relevant as it has been. Armando Iannucci, writer, director and producer Currently, the government and politicians who see the BBC as just an item on their political agenda, as a sop to their supporters and financial backers. If the BBC was a weapons manufacturer, cabinet ministers would be fanning out across the world saying how great it was and trying to sell it. But instead they seek to criticise and curtail. Ash Atalla, producer of The Office and The IT Crowd The rightwing press are a huge threat and I’m staggered by the blatant nature of their sustained attack, which is clearly in business interests. The other week, the front page of the Sun had an actor who was in Only Fools and Horses saying “BBC plonkers” wouldn’t make the show now. It’s entirely spurious, yet makes the front page. And you get that from multiple newspapers. Imagine the BBC running a programme called Don’t Buy the Times, They’re Cunts. It’s as bold as that and yet we wave it through. Should we ditch the licence fee? Russell T Davies Wrong question. It’s gone. Jack Thorne If we do, we will never replicate the beauty of what the BBC does. David Hare The government has just written off billions of pounds of Covid-related fraud. The Treasury has announced it does not intend to pursue the fraudsters it empowered. It can afford to pay for the BBC directly. Paula Milne The alternative is subscription, advertising, or direct taxation. The subscription model won’t support current affairs, children’s, schools and local programmes or the World Service. Advertising would decimate ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Direct taxation gives the government undue influence. The licence fee costs about 40p a day… I rest my case. Peter Kosminsky The licence fee has served the BBC and the public well for almost a century. Although many moan about it, few dispute that it represents fantastic value for money, at a fraction of the cost of the streaming services. An imaginative solution needs to be sought, appropriate to the new landscape, which will match and enhance the corporation’s current level of funding. Ideas need to be canvassed from industry, consumers and academics by a body that sincerely wishes to protect and grow the organisation, not gut it for narrow political reasons. We will miss it when it’s gone. Yanis Varoufakis Yes, and replace it with a household levy that is proportional to its electricity bill. A household levy allows for universal provision within every household (independently of type or number of devices) while maintaining the BBC’s autonomy from general government revenues. Last, by making the levy proportional to electricity bills (which are highly correlated with household income/wealth), the levy becomes progressive and simple to administer. Mark Cousins, film-maker If we want shite TV and radio like many other countries, yes. Paul Mason, former economics editor, Newsnight No, but we should top-slice it, opening maybe 20% of the money to bids from other broadcasters prepared to meet public service standards. The BBC’s commissioning methods kill originality and risk-taking. Public service broadcasting needs new entrants, not better gatekeeping by the BBC. Fintan O’Toole, Irish journalist and author There’s a lot to be said for having a levy on the big corporate media giants to create a fund for public service broadcasting across all channels. But the licence fee is still very good value for money. Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, producer of Gogglebox Forcing people to pay the licence fee (more than 100,000 convictions a year) is not sustainable in a digital world with so much choice. The 2016 requirement to have a licence fee for iPlayer video-on-demand was a significant step towards changing it into a voluntary subscription payment. But with so many, mostly older, people watching the BBC free-to-air on Freeview, a move to subscription cannot happen any faster than the government’s broadband roll out to all households. It probably won’t be possible for the next Charter, but it will be for the one after next. Stuart Murphy No. The BBC (and the NHS) are the envy of the world, and both required vision and unique funding models to bring them to life. We should refocus the BBC, and have it change shape and adapt as the society around it changes. Tony Parsons The passing of time will ditch the licence fee because nobody born in the 21st century has any kind of sentimental attachment to the BBC. Within the next 10 years, those young men and women will be asked to fork out for a telly tax for a service that they did not grow up with, that they don’t use and have never been taught to love. There will come a point when the licence fee goes the way of banana rationing, the mullet and smoking on planes. Bernardine Evaristo No, I have never objected to paying a small fee for the BBC’s outstanding services. Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to Hurt, currently on BBC One starring Ben Whishaw Ditching the licence fee would be an act of cultural arson for which future generations would rightly never forgive us. For me, it’s 6 Music, Line of Duty and the BBC news website. For my parents, it’s The Archers, Match of the Day and the Concert Orchestra. For my niece and nephews, it’s Bitesize and CBeebies. There’s genuinely something for everyone, and that extraordinary breadth of programming is only possible with the current funding model. It ain’t broke: don’t fuck it. George Monbiot For a long time I defended the licence fee. But I now wonder whether the power it grants the government does more harm than good. Switching to a subscription service might allow the BBC to escape from political control and recover its