Your Licence Fee At Work

Because of the unique way the B.B.C. is funded, it comes in for a lot of criticism. The chief argument goes like this: you were set up with funding from the government with a mandate to provide a public broadcast service. I don't have digital cable or the internet (says the complainant) so you shouldn't be spending my licence fee money on new channels and websites that I can't access.



Personally, I can't remember the last time I watched BBC1 or BBC2 but I'm listening to web radio as I write this so the above argument gets a fat "I'm alright, Jack" from me. Interactive content built into the rolling news channel News 24 gives me the headlines and a five-day weather forecast at the touch of a red button. The Eight O'Clock news on Radio 4 is a staple feature of my drive to work, as is the Six O'Clock News on the drive home. (I like to be informed.) BBC Bristol, BBC Wiltshire and BBC Berkshire tell me why the motorway has come to a standstill and why I can't do anything about it.

Best of all, I can hear shows I've missed for up to seven days using the online Listen Again feature. It's TiVo for radio! I recommend Just A Minute, the panel game where the aim is to talk on a single subject for sixty seconds with no hesitation, repetition or deviation, and the self-styled antidote to panel games, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

"The next round will be familiar to viewers of Give Us A Clue, where contestants must communicate a popular title or phrase without using words. Team captain Lionel Blair got frustrated on the show's Italian tour when he couldn't use his mouth to finish off Two Gentlemen Of Verona."

That's dirty. Unfortunately I'm not sure if Listen Again is available overseas because we never intended for foreigners to Listen A First Time in case they heard what we were saying about them. To find out, click here then click "Comedy And Quizzes" on the right. Finally, leave a comment about whether it worked so I can talk about this with more authority in future.

At four beers per month the licence fee is fantastic value. It's not fashionable to praise big corporations but it's true. Now if only the public would stop watching half the crap on BBC1 we might get better public service television too.