Why the F should I tell BBC every year that I don’t watch TV ?

My aunt and uncle never had a tv and regularly were visited by the “detector van”. Quite was it was detecting was a mystery as they had neither tv nor an aerial. That was in the 70s and 80s.

Nobody is responding to my post about CBeebies. My five year old grandson was watching IiPlayer on his iPad in the car. He was watching g a programme about Eid. We are not Muslims or religious so it was moving to hear him enthusiastically explain Eid celebrations to me.
I am a teacher ( retired) and I so
often embedded a a short clip from one of the BBC educational programmes in
my whiteboard presentations. He was watching Something Special series I think.
I think a lot of people take this kind of provision for granted and think it gets paid for from the magic money tree.

Their letters are actually comical, with a very dated looking design, with a 1980’s-esqe ‘rubber stamp ‘ with the ‘signature’ of the boss on it, like something a seven year old would knock up on the computer and they go In a cycle, such a waste of paper, it’s a shame that anyone takes them seriously.

I think some posters are forgetting not everyone these bullies will visit is a confident individual with the ability to make themselves clearly understood. It's very easy to say you shouldn't be terrified when you know they are powerless, unfortunately not everyone knows they have no authority.

Do they still do the old threat of “we picked up signals from your property”?

Did you hell as like matey, you didn’t, because you can’t.

Don't open the letters then. Either bin them or return to sender.
Capital have zero powers. Engaging with theses idiots confirms your name to the address.

Letters straight in the bin. Ignore capita visits. If you answer the door, jusr close it.
Quite simple

How did you “tell” the BBC you didn’t need one?

A shite bit of software developed by Capita.

I never understand why so many people are terrified of a home visit. They just need to master a few useful phrases:

Remind me, what are your powers of entry?

Do you have a warrant?

No? Well, fuck off then.

I wonder who the person is that works for the BBC and has to send out all these letters etc

This is a parenting website. So many people are so anti children's provision on here. Think of the wonderful job George Webster does as a BBC presenter. I am proud as a grandparent and very old person to contribute to first class educational tv for children.

It is shameful the way the BBC behaves.

I agree with all the comments about elderly people and this assumption the TV is some substitute for human connection. It's not, and in some cases is actively damaging.

I have an elderly relative who has dementia. Whilst still at home, she watched TV and it caused serious mental health issues - she couldn't understand the murder mysteries weren't real and started getting paranoid about people wanting to kill her or things she'd seen on the news. If she'd been on her own with carers only coming in occasionally they may not have picked up on this and the risk to her and others her watching the TV posed. In the nursing home she is now in, they rarely watch TV (and they have carers monitoring what they do watch). Mostly they play music, and the staff and patients chat and it's a lovely family atmosphere. They have lots of activities too.

'anti BBC campaigning', 'politically motivated' ?
You might want to check your paranoia.
Just a bunch of people discussing their actual lived experiences of bullying and harassment from the corporation that is the BBC. If it wasn't true there'd be nothing to discuss would there?
They are a disgrace, doesn't matter which way you look at it.

I assume you’ve never cancelled your TV licence and then received letters which have an increasingly threatening tone and content. Their starting point is clearly that you are a liar, and that in itself is offensive and unusual. When I cancel other subscriptions they either accept it or try to persuade me to return with freebies. They don’t keep telling me that I’m wrong and basically coerce and bully me into returning.

Do they listen to BBC radio?

That's not what the letters say. They say I have to make a declaration stating I'm not watching TV or get endlessly hassled and threatened (basically).

Way back when I was young (early 80's) I lived with my grandad (who was a frail old man)
Not only did we not watch the BBC,we didnt actually have a TV
Every friday,without fail,a huge bloke would come round,demand to know why we didnt have a licence and would refuse to take our word for it that we didnt have a TV
He would push past us,take a good look round then leave
Following friday,same thing-this must have gone on for a few years-every friday without fail (if we didnt open the door,they would start hammering on the windows)
I let slip to my father about this and I guess he rang my grandad and was told what was happening
He was so angry and wrote to someone (no idea who) and I don't know what was said but they never came round again
I bet if grandad had been a tough bodybuilder and not a frail old man,they would have taken our word for it

And that was the 80's-its shameful it's still going on

Edited for typos

I have a licence, I'm here moaning about it because of my late parents getting the letters.

I agree 100%. The level of information they want about me is intrusive.

I also think they're discriminating against elderly people who are vulnerable. Agree it's extortion- they list all the sanctions for 'breaking the law' as if loads of laws aren't being broken all the time with fuck all consequence, like burglary and rape, but yes let's try and scare the law abiding elderly into giving us money.

Apparently you can do this if you have the establishment behind you. It should be criminal.

I have a licence anyway as I pay for Sky, all the streamers and no ads so I may as well have BBC and live telly as well but it annoys me that my father got lots of letters and also my mother did after she died and the house was empty, I did ring up and complain about my late DM getting letters.

Thank you for articulating this so clearly. I agree wholeheartedly. We have elderly neighbours in our village with no tv and no interest in a tv. They have a busier social life than we do, certainly, with young kids. I find the idea that all old people are dependent on the tv for all their entertainment utterly patronising and depressing.

Please tell me truthfully @Sesma that you have never let your children or grandchildren watch CBEEBIES

It's only TV licensing that can get a search warrant through a magistrate so they are not going to be getting many of them. People need to make themselves aware of the procedures instead of cowering at the door.

And I did query my friend who claimed to watch no BBC when her kids were deep in Number Blocks. She giggled and claimed she didn't really think childrens tv counted.