• cynar@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      It did well for a long time. The BBC produces a lot of excellent programmes. It was also unafraid of holding the government’s feet to the fire.

      Unfortunately, the Tories successfully gutted it about a decade back. It still produces excellent programmes, but is neutered politically.

      As for the licence fee. It is effectively an extra tax. However, if you don’t watch TV, you don’t have to have a licence. It’s not perfect, but better than just a flat tax. It also helped keep them semi independent of the government.