On 18 June we’re running a Guardian live debate to discuss the future of the BBC. The panel will include the BBC’s director of strategy, James Purnell, former correspondent and independent MP, Martin Bell, member of the BBC Trust, Richard Ayre, one of the UK’s leading TV dramatists, Jed Mercurio, and the Guardian’s Charlotte Higgins who has written the book, This New Noise: The Extraordinary Birth and Troubled Life of the BBC. Steve Hewlett will chair the event.
The British Broadcasting Corporation has served as the UK’s cultural backbone for nearly a century. Its founding director general, Lord Reith, famously summarised the organisation’s objective in three words: ‘inform, educate, entertain’. But in a commercialised world of rapid technological advancement and fragmenting audiences, is there a place for the BBC in the 21st century?
But we want to hear what you think. Does the BBC have a future? Is it still important for the UK to have a public broadcaster? Do you believe in paying a licence fee or do you feel there should be alternative funding for the BBC? Are you happy with the quality of the BBC’s programming?
You can share your views by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ buttons on this article. You can also use the GuardianWitness smartphone app or the Guardian app and search for ‘GuardianWitness assignments.’
We will share some of your views on a screen at the beginning of the live event.
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