An old BBC advert has gone viral after the culture secretary’s announcement that “this licence fee announcement will be the last” amid reports it will be frozen for the next two years.
The annual payment, which normally changes on April 1 each year, is expected to be kept at the current rate of £159 until April 2024.
The 1986 advert, which has now been viewed over two million times, is a parody of the “what have the Romans ever done for us?” sketch from Monty Python.
Monty Python star John Cleese features in the star-studded advert, where he’s reminded of the vast amount of content the BBC produces by famous faces such as national treasure David Attenborough, broadcasters David Dimbleby and Moira Stuart, actor David Jason, snooker player Steve Davis, astronomer Patrick Moore, and funnymen The Two Ronnies.
What has the BBC ever done for us? pic.twitter.com/cHFiNaes0r
— Adil Ray OBE (@adilray) January 16, 2022
The advert was shared by the likes of actor and presenter Adil Ray and former footballer and current sports broadcaster Gary Lineker.
Lineker tweeted: “The BBC is revered, respected and envied around the world. It should be the most treasured of National treasures. Something true patriots of our country should be proud of. It should never be a voice for those in government whoever is in power.”
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The BBC is revered, respected and envied around the world. It should be the most treasured of National treasures. Something true patriots of our country should be proud of. It should never be a voice for those in government whoever is in power. https://t.co/4aR5cmDLI1
— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) January 16, 2022
Yes the BBC brings you the best in news, in sport, in drama, in music, in children’s, in science, in history, in entertainment, in current affairs and Sir David bloody Attenborough….but apart from that was has the BBC ever done for us? https://t.co/AZmIJeUbpy
— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) January 16, 2022
BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker also spoke out, tweeting: “I am well aware that the BBC makes mistakes and needs to change but the media landscape would be much poorer without it. Those 3 letters are trusted and respected around the world.”
He also added: “43p a day” alongside a picture of BBC’s services.
43p per day pic.twitter.com/MudpcnSyzM
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) January 16, 2022
Several other celebrities such as actor Hugh Grant and comedian Rachel Parris also made their feelings known:
The BBC is something the whole world admires with envy. It is entirely appropriate that the insecure, spittle-flecked nut jobs of this government want to destroy it.
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) January 16, 2022
Fuck. Just a reminder that the BBC licence fee doesn’t just pay for Strictly.
— Rachel Parris (@rachelparris) January 16, 2022
C-Beebies, GCSE Bitesize, The Proms, Radio 6 music, Popmaster, Attenborough, and the World Service as well as “the news where you are”… https://t.co/sc5xfG0gZc
For those kicking the BBC right now...you will miss it when its gone..... https://t.co/7OJhUxsOCb
— Deborah Meaden 💙 (@DeborahMeaden) January 16, 2022
I know that it feels like absolutely everyone hates the BBC right now, and there are good reasons for that, but ending the license fee is bad news.
— Nish Kumar (@MrNishKumar) January 16, 2022
For the people who keep asking why Stargazing Live doesn’t happen any more, this is why. They just don’t have the money any more, and it’s because of this government. The BBC isn’t just BBC news, and this is a ludicrously short-sighted act of vandalism from a “Culture Secretary”. https://t.co/yGeN8OCEos
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) January 16, 2022
Remember during the lockdowns when the BBC offered the biggest educational programme in its history? It ensured that even children who couldn’t access the internet could view curriculum-based programmes. It wasn’t commercially viable, it was extraordinarily valuable.
— Felicity Hannah (@FelicityHannah) January 16, 2022
If you really think your Government can win back the public by tossing out a panicky weekend threat to the BBC, then you under-estimate the level of support, admiration and respect the public has for it. https://t.co/T3P91H1dJV
— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) January 16, 2022
The BBC thing is an attempt to distract us from #PartyGate. Pass it on.
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) January 16, 2022
This follows Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries indicating that she wants to find a new funding model for the BBC after the current licence fee funding deal expires in 2027.
On Twitter, she wrote: “This licence fee announcement will be the last. The days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors, are over.
“Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content.”
This licence fee announcement will be the last. The days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors, are over.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) January 16, 2022
Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content. https://t.co/sXtK25q27H
The licence fee is set by the government, which announced in 2016 that it would rise in line with inflation for five years from April 1 2017.
According to Mail Online the BBC earns £3.2 billion a year through licence fees, but after 2027 the fee could be replaced by a new funding model.
Additional reporting by PA.
