The BBC is undeniably one of Britains greatest cultural institutions, having produced some of the greatest shows and services of all time. However, having experienced extreme funding cuts within the past 10 years and faced with a government who actively want to dismantle it, it is in peril. Many hostile forces have risen against the BBC, with recent calls to #DefundTheBBC and the claims that it is no longer fit for purpose and cannot rival the new subscriptions giants Netflix or Amazon Prime, many people (overwhelmingly from the right) are calling for an end to the license fee and for the BBC to find other funding avenues.

Not to mention the huge debate around the supposed impartiality of the BBC, with attacks from the right claiming it is too left-wing, liberal and woke - to some on the left calling it a mouthpiece for the establishment.

In today’s episode, I am joined by Patrick Barwise, Emeritus Professor in Management and Marketing at London Business School, former chairman of consumer organisation Which? and co-author, alongside Peter York, of the book 'The War Against the BBC'.

'The War Against the BBC' looks into many of the threats the BBC is facing, it debunks common myths and attacks against the BBC, the dangers of introducing advertising or a subscription-based service to the BBC and makes the case on so many fronts for why it’s so important for us to protect the BBC and the license fee.

I spoke to Patrick Barwise earlier this week for a discussion about his book and all of these different aspects!

Buy The War Against the BBC by Patrick Barwise and Peter York: https://bit.ly/32X57Iq

Guardian article which compiles Dominic Cummings 2004 blog posts: https://bit.ly/2IUfMNe

Speakers:
Patrick Barwise - Emeritus Professor in Management and Marketing, London Business School; Former Chairman, Which?; Co-author of The War Against the BBC - [email protected]
Louie Marlow - Content Producer at Young Fabians - https://twitter.com/louiemarlow

This event was recorded on Tuesday 17th November.

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The intro music is by ‘One in a Googolplex' and used under Creative Commons. Find out more about them here:
https://oneinagoogolplex.bandcamp.com/