The BBC Is Value For Money. True Or False?

Everyone has their own opinion, but my answer would be 'True'. Final answer. Think back to your favourite program which is made in Britain. Think what your current, British favourite is. Now, think to what corporation made them. A few of you may answer 'Channel 4'. A fewer amount may say 'ITV'. An even fewer (and stupider) amount of people may even say 'Sky'. However, I bet the vast majority of people would actually answer with 'Yes Stuart, the corporation I am thinking of is The BBC', or something along those lines - depending on how eloquently you like to put things.

The instantly recognisable logo for The BBC

The BBC has infuriated me just the same amount of times as is has to the next man; what with the handling of 'SachsGate' (as it is now referred to as) being one of the BBC's worst mistakes. We all remember when the Media metaphorically bullied the BBC, Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross by kicking them repeatedly from their occasional moral higher-ground, just because of a series of out-of-taste answer phone messages left on the phone of Manuel from Fawlty Towers about his Granddaughter. A comedy back-fire, which instead of the BBC just shrugging it off as a mistake, decided to sack or reprimand numerous people, including Brand and Ross. All this because the stupid public believe they have a say in a huge, world-wide corporation, just because they currently have to play £145 a year, by law, to watch colour TV.

That is a lot of money, but as an 18 year old who currently lives at home with his parents, I do not have to pay that, yet. I've had 18 years of watching colour television for free. What right to I have to possess an opinion then? None really, but that has never stopped me.

The other day, I tried to think of a popular comedy sitcoms made in previous decades that have stood the test of time and remained popular for generations, that were shown and created by the BBC. I thought of lots. Only Fools And Horses, Fawlty Towers, One Foot In The Grave, Open All Hours, Blackadder, Porridge, Dad's Army, Last Of The Summer Wine, Red Dwarf, 'Allo 'Allo!, Steptoe And Son, The Royle Family, The Vicar Of Dibley, Men Behaving Badly and more, I know. Then I thought about popular sitcoms made in previous decades that have stood the test of time and remained popular for generations, which were not shown nor created by the BBC. Father Ted is the only one that really stuck out for me. ITV had George And Mildred and Rising Damp, but who watches them these days?

That story may not be as relevant in recent years, with Channel 4 now making Sitcoms as notably good as the BBC, during the 00's. Channel Four have brought us Peep Show, The IT Crowd, Phoenix Nights, Black Books, Spaced and The Inbetweeners. ITV have done nothing worth cheering about. In fact, should you think about it too much, you will soon start crying. The BBC recently have had Outnumbered, The Mighty Boosh, The Office, Gavin And Stacy, My Family, Not Going Out and The Thick Of It, to name the most popular.

The BBC does lots more. Whether you like them or not, they constantly bring us brand new dramas which are just as gripping. They capture the audience whether they are a small child or a person knocking on the gates of heaven. I will just say two words: 'Doctor' and 'Who'. A program which is basically set around an alien, who looks exactly like a human man, moving around the Universe in a blue box with a light on it, and defeats other, nastier aliens with help of people who represent British culture of the time.

Vintage Doctor Who Logo

You can say whatever you like about the BBC, but just remember who still continues to create the longest serving, most popular drama which has the power to grip people across the globe, and still keep it fresh. Doctor Who is a significant part of British popular culture, and has inspired and gripped countless numbers of people and is the big must-see television favourite, and has lasted 769 episodes, with lots more upcoming. Name another British Television Corporation that has done that. Exactly, you can't, can you? Would any other channel even attempt to do something to that scale? Do you still want to argue that the BBC isn't value for money?

Fine. I will name two more television shows which are on the BBC. Have I Got News For You and Qi. Just between those two shows, the BBC achieves its three main goals to: Entertain, Inform and Educate. The Government says it has to do those three things for it to receive its public funding; and it does that easily. Also, to Inform and Educate people while Entertaining the audience and making them laugh, is quite challenge. No other British channel really has shows which can do that. Well, apart from Dave, but that’s only because they’re showing BBC shows. Think about it - without the BBC, the channel Dave would not be able to exist. Without the existence of Top Gear alone, the schedules on Dave would be empty.

Still not convinced? CBBC and Cbeebies. Without those two channels, Children would be stuck with Disney, Boomerang and Nickelodeon, and our children would grow up being stupid and stuck with American values. Trust me - we do NOT want that. I know the BBC show American Children's shows like Arthur and Scooby Doo, but they vary their range. There are those programs which are just really fun with no hidden motive to educate, then you have the ones which do. My prime example is Horrible Histories; a program which teaches children about history in a very funny way. I watch it. I consider it be of a better quality to many comedy shows on TV now. As a BBC 2 Sketch show, it would work well.

Vintage logo for what is now 'CBBC'

CBBC shaped me to be the person I am today. Some may say an angry, cynical teenage boy isn't a good thing to be, but that is beside the point. Watching Arthur everyday made me who I am. Enjoying Postman Pat made me who I am. Fireman Sam made me the person I am today. Even Pingu has made me the person I am. Blue Peter has made me the person I am today. Thanks to that show and their constant appeals, I have learned that if I don't do anything, other people will and charity still wins. It made the lazy man I have become.

Still not convinced aye? Radio. The BBC spurts out 12 different radio stations, all transmitting different genres of music, interesting facts, amusing shows and high-brow debates amongst the middle classes, through the airways of both the analogue and digital type. You cannot get that type of varied entertainment anywhere else. I can switch between Chris Moyles or Chris Evans in the car of a morning and I can listen to these high-brow debates amongst the middle classes on Radio 2 during my travels in the day. I can then come home and listen to the laugh-out-loud 'I'm Sorry I Haven't Got A Clue’ on Radio 4's iPlayer. You cannot tell me all that variety, plus all their TV channels and excellent shows, their news coverage, website and iPlayer systems are not worth the money we pay them. Well, you can try, but I will brand you an ignorant, naive liar!

Just a side note on the business of Chris Moyles having a rant about his pay on his breakfast show: I believe he is more than entitled to do so. That is partly because I believe people should rant more in the mornings as it is a way of engaging and stimulating the brain, but that isn't the main reason. He hadn't been paid for a few months due to a technical error. Now, it doesn't matter how much you earn, you still deserve to be paid for the job you do. I don't think there are many people who would wake up early in the morning and go to work - every single day still, despite not receiving a wage for months. I think he should be praised for his loyalty, and if it takes a rant to sort it out, then let him. Anyway, back on topic.

Not on my side yet? Fine - two words. 'Monty Python'. Maybe it requires a slightly acquired taste of humour, but one of the greatest comedy sketch shows to come out. Their jokes have remained popular and overly quoted for some 40 years. This isn't the only great comedy sketch show to come out of the BBC. The Two Ronnies is another great example. Yet again their sketches remain popular and relevant today. Other comedy acts like Eric And Ernie or Vic And Bob have come from the BBC, all popular and well liked and watched during their popularity hype. You cannot say that the BBC are of no worth, when they are pretty much the only producers of decent comedy on the television, for our nation.

Still not agreeing with me? The charity work they do - the BBC use hours upon hours of their scheduling for charity-related shows. Sport Relief, Red Nose Day and Children In Need are all things you will see on television annually. Without questioning, they have top celebrities helping out. They will always have the number in the corner of the screen, urging people to donate money. They raise absolutely millions of pounds of charity - in just the one evening. Granted, that money comes from us the general public, but I doubt us idiots would even contemplate it without any of that charade sometimes. Remember all the charity events you have watched on the BBC. Now, if that doesn't sway you - then God will hate you. And if you don't believe in God - Cheryl Cole won't believe in you; and if she doesn't believe in you - you know you're in trouble...

The slightly older logo for Children In Need

You can live with God hating and Cheryl Cole not believing in you, can you? You still don't believe the BBC is worth the money? I'll pull out my top trump then. Adverts. Everyone complains about adverts. Just as a show gets to a good bit; they cut to an advert. The adverts are full complete rubbish, all advertising their cosmetic lies and poisonous chemicals that only kill 99.9% of bacteria. The BBC, have none; apart from a minute between shows, to advertise their own shows. They have no adverts. What would Chris Tarrant do if Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was a BBC show? He would never be able to say the words everyone hates 'We'll find out in a minute'. Well, he could I suppose, but he'd have to get up and dance to fill the time - and if he done that every week, we'd hate him. A lot.

You see, by paying the BBC this £145 a year, we have no adverts. We have top quality programming. We have a range of formats from Radio, to Internet, to TV. We have a range in shows from Classical music to the ridiculous BBC 3 documentaries of the absurd. It doesn't matter about your opinions of one particular show, because with this huge range they have on all of their media formats, everyone is bound to find shows they love on the BBC. I mean - Doctor Who. It’s a top quality show with some truly awe-inspiring special effects and some mostly great writing. That can be said for so many of their shows.

All the other channels in the UK only exist by paying top talents like Ant and Dec millions of pounds annually to front their shows or by showing American shows. They don't really create anything that can stand the test of time and that can set a person’s imagination running wild. The BBC do. Sure, they do show American shows, but they level it out with their ability to create this top class, popular, well created shows which do inspire people everywhere, and indeed inspire me.

So, next time you want to complain about the BBC and the money they receive, and the next time you read in a tabloid newspaper that the BBC are a waste of tax-payers money, remember all the things they have given you; either present of many years ago in the golden age of comedy. Think for yourselves you idiots! You don't have to have the same opinion that the Newspapers tell you to have - or in fact what I tell you to say. You don’t have to listen (read) to a word I have said (typed). However, I do fell I stated a very strong case for the BBC and how they are worth every penny, and don't deserve to have millions of pounds cut from their budget by the Conservative Party.

Also, remember to pay your license fee!

P.S. If you wanted to listen to a catchy musical version of this blog, listing reasons to be proud of the BBC, then you should probably listen to this if you haven't done so already: Mitch Benn - Proud Of The BBC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3q2iZuU5WM

Stuart's In-Car Entertainment Conundrum

What am I suppose to do for in-car entertainment when I have a dodgy radio with a tape deck that does not work and cannot afford to buy a new radio? Well, I probably could afford to buy a radio for my car, but it would mean I'd have no money for petrol to actually drive the car. This means I am left with only the radio in my car seeing, but which radio station to choose? I have absolutely no idea what to listen to in my car. I have the choice of the local Heart station, KMFM, Classic FM, Radio 1, Radio 2 and something French which only works occasionally.

Now, I cannot decide which station to tune my car radio too. Heart actually gets the best signal while driving around, so this is a positive. However, I have more than two brain cells. I am not stupid enough to listen to Heart. I have 12 GCSE's and I'm attempting A-levels. I don't plan on lowering my intelligence by listening to the same 15 songs over and over again. We can unanimously agree that the station that prides itself on having 'The Best Music Variety' actually plays some of the worst songs from the same genre. I don't like Sugababes, I've listened to so much Leona Lewis that I'm becoming paranoid that Simon Cowell is trying to brainwash me, been turned almost insane by Lady Gaga's Pokerface and I am losing my patience of Take That's song 'Patience' always being played.
My Dad has always had Heart (or Invicta as our local station used to be called) playing in the car, and I know far too much about James Hemming's personal life from listening every morning that I can't help but think I'm stalking him. You can understand that I don't want to have Heart playing every time I get in the car, and the fact that Geri Halliwell has a show on it, makes me more determined to never be associated with it. I find one of the joys of driving being that I can pick the radio station to listen too. Sure the independence is good, but I can now choose the music, and if I put Heart, it will make all that time learning to drive, wasted. So, it seems I won't be 'having a Heart' any time soon. And as for the other local station KMFM, well the same reasons apply to that, just insert different and lesser known names.

Listening to Radio 1 just makes me feel old, despite the fact I am only 17. I really am not 'hip-hop' enough to listen to that station. It does have good points about it though, with it having Chris Moyles in the morning and Scott Mills in the afternoon, both people I could easily listen to all day. Over the past few days I have had my car radio tuned to Radio 1, purely because I have enjoyed listening to Chris Moyles and the rest of the entourage while stuck in traffic on the way to school. I can even put up with a majority of the music he plays in the middle of his waffling, and I even found myself singing along to McFly - Stargirl on Friday as I parked my car. Then if I'm late driving home (like I have been most days recently) I get to listen to Scott Mills as I drive home, and usually time it just right so I listen to the news - not the most interesting thing to listen to, but better than hearing JLS's new song.
However, when I drive my car in the middle of the day, I am forced to listen to Fearne Cotton. I used to like her, but I now just find her whining blondness irritating. Her taste in music, I don't like either. This is why I cannot have Radio 1 permanently on in my car. I seem to be one of the only people who get road rage at the radio instead of other drivers. The annoying thing with Radio 1 is that they can play a song that I actually really like, then follow it with Madcon's new release - two completely different genres. It annoys me that this station is allowed to keep going while BBC 6 Music faces closure. I fully understand that the point of paying the license fee is that a greater variety can be given to the public, whether it is the banter and great music of BBC 6 Music or the just plain idiocy of Radio 1, but why get rid of one and not the other? Anyway, I digress...

I would listen to Radio 2 if my car radio could actually find a decent signal which didn't cut off every few seconds. Maybe the target audience is for people in their thirties and forties, but they play much better music that Radio 1 and their playlist seems to be longer than that of Heart. The recent departure of Terry Wogan is sad, but I think maybe he has been doing the job for far too long, and handing over to Chris Evans was good. Sure, it has divided people in their opinions, with some thinking that Evans could not replace Wogan's raconteur skills, and others thinking that Evans in the morning 'brightens up their day'. Despite the BBC being worried that the target age range of Radio 2 is slipping, it is still rather a good radio station, and one could ask 'Why does it matter?' As long as people are listening, why does it matter what age range are listening?
The other station that actually works properly is Classic FM. I'm not cultured enough to listen to that station. Maybe if I feel I have listened to Radio 1 too much and that my intellect is slowly dropping, I'll listen to 20 minutes of classical music just to top it up again. However, as a radio station to listen to on the drive to school every day? Well, let's just say it doesn't appeal to me. Infact, driving down to Dover and going straight over the cliffs seems more appealing.

What am I to do between now and being about to afford a brand new radio for my car with a CD player and a place to plug my iPod into? Shall I just drive around in silence with my own thoughts? Should I listen to Heart and risk my brain blowing up after hearing Cheryl Cole’s new song for the 175,867th time, just in case they play a Kings of Leon or Snow Patrol track in the time I'm in the car? Do I listen to Radio 1 and try to be 'down wiv da kidz' and being entertained by the likes of Moyles and Mills but annoyed by the stupidness of Cotton? Maybe I could listen to Radio 2 and have a good mix of songs and DJ-ing but lose the signal every other minute? Or should I just put Classic FM on while driving down to Dover?

I really have no idea, and it is annoying me. I think I may have to give up soon and borrow some money off a Dad who no longer has to drive me everywhere (somehow, I very much doubt that). I suppose I could just go without petrol for a few weeks and push the car everywhere I go, but put the volume up loud so I can hear it while I push it down the dual carriageway every morning. Either way, I don't think I am going to be able to last much longer before I go mad with my own thoughts while I drive everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being able to drive everywhere, go where ever and do it at whatever time I please, but some decent music would be appreciated.
Maybe I should set up my own personal radio station in which I give them my iTunes collection and ask them to play through them. However, I'm thinking it will probably be cheaper to buy a new car. Any advice you have for me would be great, as it is 'driving' me mad. Budum Tshh.

A whole blog just to make that terrible pun...