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AIBU?

To think the BBC really should be shut down?

430 replies

Loeri · 06/09/2013 07:45

After the child abuse scandals, and now this where BBC execs have been given payments far beyond anything they were required to be given, isn't it time that the BBC was just shut down? It can't really be said that it makes the best TV in the world anymore, the best TV programmes come from the US and have done for well over a decade now. I just don't see the purpose of the BBC in 2013. It is arrogant, bloated beyond belief and seems only to exist to provide cushy jobs for the Guardian set.

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LaurieFairyCake · 06/09/2013 07:48

No... It still makes the best tv and radio in the world - it's news reporting is the finest

Sure the US makes amazing drama but have you seen Fox News? Grin

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Jaynebxl · 06/09/2013 07:49

That would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's so much good about the bbc.

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Loeri · 06/09/2013 07:50

Radio? Maybe. TV? Not even close. What BBC programme matches up to Homeland, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men etc? And these programmes are full of British actors, why aren't they being made by the BBC?

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Nancy66 · 06/09/2013 07:51

Most of the child abuse cases are historical.
Shutting down a modern day operation because of something people did decades ago makes no sense.

Spend a month in the US watching TV - or Australia for that matter - and you'll be glad of the BBC

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partyondude · 06/09/2013 07:51

Im with lauri. I thank actually it does make superior programmes and my life would be much poorer without radio 4.

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galletti · 06/09/2013 07:52

Yes, YABU. Some things need to change, yes, but NOT shut down.

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KoalaFace · 06/09/2013 07:52

Fox News isn't a drama?!

YANBU to be annoyed the the BBC. I think it needs a major overhaul after everything we've heard.

But I think YABU to want it got rid of completely. I hate adverts I love BBC radio, like most news reporting and some TV is great like Luthor and Sherlock.

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Loeri · 06/09/2013 07:52

If I spent a month in the US or Australia I'd watch the same programmes I do now, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men etc.

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Thurlow · 06/09/2013 07:53

As nancy says, bar the overpayments to employees, most of what you are talking about is historical.

Have you seen most US TV? The BBC might not always be amazing, but it's better and ITV, C4 and C5 put together.

Oh, and The Fall was excellent.

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fffinsake · 06/09/2013 07:54

BBC news is highly biased. Presentation is good, but they are selective about what they report and biased about how they report it.

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Ifancyashandy · 06/09/2013 07:54

I work for the Beeb. I am not involved in any child abuse scandals. Nor did I unexpectedly get a big fat payment.

It is a huge and wonderful organisation, highly regarded as the best of its kind in the world. One bad Daily Mail story (aside from the 70's and 80's abuse horror) does not represent the entire organisation.

Should Corrie be taken off air due to it's recent and ongoing horror?

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elQuintoConyo · 06/09/2013 07:55

Because, apart from Homeland, the other three are bollocks?

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OddBoots · 06/09/2013 07:56

Mitch Benn expresses it much better than I do:

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Pantah630 · 06/09/2013 07:56

Have you not watched BBC4? There's some excellent programmes on there. We have Virgin XL package but at least 80% of our family viewing is BBC2 or BBC4. HBO make fabulous drama, my DVD library is full of them but (wo)man cannot live on hot totty and action alone Grin

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Loeri · 06/09/2013 07:57

"It is a huge and wonderful organisation, highly regarded as the best of its kind in the world."
Yes, as the BBC keeps telling us.

Coronation Street isn't publicly funded.

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reggiebean · 06/09/2013 07:57

YABU, the BBC is brilliant. Yes, it has some (major) flaws, but they don't override all the good things about it. In regards to the shows, have you seen Top of the Lake? One of the best shows I've seen in a while.

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Alwaysneedtomowthelawn · 06/09/2013 07:57

I adore the BBC. It certainly has its faults, and the two examples you give of recent scandals are awful.
However, the BBC does make wonderful programmes and its radio programmes are especially great.
Bad things happen on any corporation of such a big size, it's just in most private companies they would never see the light of day.
The BBC has a statutory duty to provide programming that educates as well an entertaining programmes, and I think it does this very well - I love Science Club for example. As previously posted, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

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Ifancyashandy · 06/09/2013 07:58

No, but the resultant court cases are.

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LaurieFairyCake · 06/09/2013 07:59

Going to lose some respect for the statement

"Coronation Street isn't publicly funded"

It fucking shows - its shash!! Utter bollocks.

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Alwaysneedtomowthelawn · 06/09/2013 07:59

Oh meant to say - YABU.

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Loeri · 06/09/2013 07:59

If viewers are disgusted with Coronation Street, their ratings will plummet and the show will be cancelled.

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StainlessSteelBegonia · 06/09/2013 08:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotYouNaanBread · 06/09/2013 08:01

If those are the only shows you ever watch, then maybe it wouldn't make much difference to you. You are living in a bit of a bubble though if you think that those shows are in any way representative of US tv which is astonishingly bad, and peppered with long ad slots every 8 minutes - it's unwatchable.

The quality of the news there is appalling too because it has to be consumer driven rather than news driven and is accordingly mostly "kitten stuck tree" local stories with surprisingly little national news of any gravity, never mind intl. Many Americans have to watch the BBC (or Al Jazeera) to find out what is actually happening.

As for other countries, have you ever watched tv in, say, France, Italy or Spain? Really?

The BBC also has the budget and the interest in supporting the arts to fund and persevere with shows that would never get the funding elsewhere. Interestingly, Mad Men is surprisingly unpopular here in the UK, if you look at the stats.

Mostly I just think your OP is woefully uninformed, really.

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Alwaysneedtomowthelawn · 06/09/2013 08:01

Loeri - but why would you be disgusted with Coronation St? They haven't been accused of anything as far as I am aware.

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moustachio · 06/09/2013 08:01

I do see what you mean. My generation tends not to watch TV for the sake of it. Evenings are more likely to be spent watching downloaded versions of the type of shows the OP suggested though, as opposed to flicking through drivel for hours. I suppose that's the reason catch up services and Netflix/lovefilm exist, as opposes to scheduled TV. I do like BBC news though.

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