‘Perhaps there is an option of a donation model’
I suppose it’s fanciful, but I’d like to have them care less about audience figures and trying to please everyone. Usually when they take a risk and do something because they think it’s good, rather than because they feel it’s what people want, it works. I’d like them to stop trying to stir things up (e.g. Question Time and the Today programme), stop being so damn nervous about presenters giving opinions (the Naga Munchetty row) and don’t worry when they’re doing something basically entertaining but not necessarily educational.
I also wonder whether – if the TV licence comes into serious existential question – the funding for radio could somehow be ringfenced, with perhaps an option of a donation model. I for one would gladly pay (for example) £5 per month for 6 Music to continue broadcasting exactly as they please, and I’m sure I’m not alone. I am optimistic that the new director general will somehow be more fierce in their defence of the BBC, because I think it’ll be needed in the coming years. Tim Thornton, 46, musician and writer, London
‘The BBC could probably be more diverse’
I like the way the channel assorts and presents news from around the world. I also love that they have a wide range of podcasts and an online subscription isn’t mandatory to access their news stories. In terms of changing, I think they could probably be more diverse. They could add new shows during the peak hours with fresh faces we haven’t seen before. They could also infuse new blood by giving a fair chance for the young talent to pitch in their ideas. The internal disputes need to be solved first. Funding may pose another problem. They need to take care of their reputation also. This is a dangerous moment for the BBC and I feel it is in a vulnerable position. Lavina Daryanani, 18, Chennai, India
‘If the BBC capitalised on its amazing heritage I think it could draw a young audience back’
I’d like to see them stop being frightened of taking risks with genuinely imaginative, creative scripts and stories. The BBC needs material that can compete with Black Mirror, Stranger Things etc. BBC iPlayer is awful. It should be scrapped and replaced with a new digital archive service that offers as much of its heritage as possible, perhaps in collaboration with the BFI.
The BBC has already lost the young – but it could do more to capitalise on its amazing heritage – and I feel that in doing so, it could draw a young audience back. I’m sure they’d watch Threads and be impressed by it, for example. The license fee is outmoded and I wouldn’t mind paying a subscription instead. At the moment I feel like I’m paying for something that I rarely watch. David, Wakefield
‘It desperately needs to be more independent’
The BBC offers variety, something for everyone, from low- to high-brow, and plenty in between. Its pursuit of excellence in everything it does is exemplary and it is one of the decreasing number of institutions which make living in Britain worthwhile. However, the BBC needs, desperately, to be more independent of government and especially misgovernment. The political interference, and threatening of interference, is disgraceful and should be illegal. Malcolm, Lincolnshire
‘I think there should be a change of funding model’
There are some things that I would willingly pay the licence fee for alone – Radio 3, Radio 4 and the World Service. I love the BBC’s policy of balance. I think there should be a change of funding model though to allow those who never watch/listen to not pay. There should also be less background music in radio news items and in TV wildlife programmes. The same goes for aggressive interviewers (such as John Humphrys – yes, I know he’s retired) – they generate more heat than light. Also, can the BBC find a way of increasing visibility as news source via social media? John Newton, 73, retired entomologist, Burgess Hill
‘I don’t want to see any change’
I don’t want to see any change. I love the BBC because it does not have advertisements, has so many varied, informative, and interesting programmes, and is not like the radio and television in the US. I think that the TV licence is worth every penny. Christa, Somerset
‘I want to see a confident broadcaster who challenges politicians in depth on the veracity of what they say’
Sadly there is not a lot I love about the BBC any more. I used to be one of its staunchest supporters but I’ve been turned off by its increasing political correctness and its tone in speaking to its audiences as if they are children. In many ways the BBC has become almost unwatchable for me. Mature, confident broadcasters simply don’t behave like this.
I want to see a confident broadcaster who challenges politicians in depth on the veracity of what they say. I do not want to see a broadcaster who appears terrified to challenge the government in case it is financially punished. I think the BBC is almost at the point of unsalvageability and I wouldn’t mind if the BBC vanished, perhaps a shocking thing to say but that’s where the organisation has taken us. Peter Mahaffey, semi-retired surgeon, Bedford
‘I hope it continues to tell uncomfortable truths’
I hope it continues to to tell uncomfortable truths in its news reporting, because the truth is out there and someone needs to report it. Don’t give in to pressure to be ‘balanced’ out of existence; trust the intelligence and integrity of your journalists to tell it as it is. Carol Larg, retired teacher, Dundee
