The highlight of the annual Edinburgh International Television Festival is almost always the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture. The 2015 lecture was delivered by Armando Iannucci, (as far as I can see) the first 'creative' to have done so for over a decade apart from Kevin Spacey.
This matters. At a time when the BBC is under review – and anyone who cares about it ought to submit a response to the current survey here – Iannucci offers a spirited defence of its uniqueness. Which other country in the world would, as a matter of principle, argue for making its leading world brand a little bit worse by cutting bits off it? There is something peculiarly British about our willingness to pull down anything that has been built up.
So, the timely, important and entertaining lecture can be read here.
Interesting comment can be read here and here. The Sandford St Martin Trust (which I chair) has further links and some useful related material here.
Debate needs to be joined, particularly by those who wish to see the BBC developed and not diminished. And I say that as one who is constantly argues with and about the BBC, especially about religious illiteracy and a certain liberal myopia.
It is worth adding that suspicions about the ideological prejudices of the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport are, to my mind, premature. John Whittingdale's responsibility as chair of the Select Committee in the previous regime was precisely to be a Rottweiler and push the hard challenges. He did that well. Now is a different game. We'll see what emerges as the Charter renewal process proceeds.
August 30, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Yes, good old Brits, build it up and knock it and them down! Who else would do that! And then to have had the BBC in the five African countries I’ve worked in, and my fourth BBC Prom concert tonight, all for £22.50, is very precious to me.
August 30, 2015 at 10:50 pm
The national BBC is pretty impressive on the whole, unless you look closely at some of its agendas (which raise some interesting questions about fair and unbiased reporting). But some of the local stations are not so impressive: and unfortunately one of those which functions as a quasi-national outlet (BBC Jersey) is really very bad indeed. You might also find a million or more Scots saying something similar about the service they get from Pacific Quay.
August 31, 2015 at 1:08 am
For FOUR of the last six days of the general election campaign the Tory (but anti Cameron/Murdoch) BBC headlined the lie that Ed Miliband would deal with the already demonised “leftie” SNP.
That made and has made most of the difference.
For the remaining two their editorial line was that the LDs were necessary to a desirable coalition.
Being incapacitated via chemotherapy I paid wrapt attention.
Their political coverage features conservatives such as former Young Cons national chairman Nick Robinson, former Murdoch Editor AF Neil, and old Etonian and former Bullingdon Club member David Dimbleby.
When poor Nick Robinson was ill the Beeb found a replacement to interview the PM, old Etonian James Landale.
August 31, 2015 at 7:01 am
Reblogged this on hungarywolf.
August 31, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Indeed, Long Live the BBC! Just one point that struck me from your opening paragraph; isn’t it crucial, theologically, to affirm all human beings as ‘creatives’?
September 1, 2015 at 9:53 am
Ian, it wasn’t a theological comment; it is standard terminology for distinguishing between management and those who actually write/produce the stuff.
September 1, 2015 at 10:10 am
Cheers Nick, I appreciate that, I guess my point was that ‘standard terminology’ has a tendency towards promulgating lazy assumption as well as downright error, theology is as good a tool as any, to challenge them! I suppose a pair or inverted commas can have many meanings. Thanks for the blog.