The threatening letter British people don’t take seriously

[@farrahaliceblack7453]

I once saw a tweet from someone in Scotland that said a TV licence person had shown up at their neighbors house and pointed out they must have a TV because they have a satellite dish, and their neighbor replied "An I got milk in the fridge, dunny mean I got a cow out back" and that's hands-down the greatest response I've ever heard 😂

[@yorktown99]

Scottish logic wins.

[@JustARandomSomething]

I'm so using that next time they visit me

[@billrankin]

I got them tell me I have a tv as I have an Ariel on the chimney stack, I told them I got a chimney but not a coal fire. Bottom line shut the door don’t communicate it sterilising them and there investigation.

[@evi6199]

Oldest joke in the book

[@anyexpat]

@@evi6199 Surely there were jokes around before satellite dishes

[@Jessica-uo4qk]

My nan got so scared of those letters she started paying the TV license even though she doesn't actually own a TV, nothing I say will convince her it's safe to quit the bill and save the money.

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

Same thing with my parents. They are scared that people will come round and do something even tho these people have no rights at all and you can just tell them to piss off lol.

[@Janus-yv8zm]

My mother actually believes that they have those detector vans that go around and pick up what you're watching on TV haha

[@BaldMancTwat]

@@Janus-yv8zm To anyone who doesn't know, that used to actually be a thing.

[@phillipsiviter2024]

@@Janus-yv8zm that used to be the case with analog tv’s but not with digital.

[@rogerramjet6429]

@@BaldMancTwat those vans never worked to start with. As a technician I know of various technical issues, why that entire charade is just another scam used to fool gullible people.

[@martinfenton1275]

TV Licencing got an earful when I reported my father had died. After telling them his house was empty, they asked me to confirm that there was nobody there to watch TV. I told them that the output of BBC-1 was so dull, my father died rather than watch any more. For once, they deviated from their threatening little script. I also asked if they could send the enforcement officer round on a specific day as I needed a hand with disposing of an old television set.

[@hjad2625]

It is sad but funny at the same time 😂

[@46FreddieMercury91]

Similar here. My mother in law died last August. My wife cancelled her mom's TV licence as the house is now empty. she'd already explained the situation, but they've since sent two letters, plus a card put through the door from a visit, saying the matter is now under investigation. I just laughed. Completely ignore it

[@linda-b6e]

That is the right attitude to take.

[@mccollmeevie3190]

The letters are shocking. Imagine we got letters in every month saying "YOU BETTER NOT BE DOING DRUUGGGS"

[@ClaraJC99]

Sorry I couldn't help but laugh 😂🤣

[@RonLaws]

🤔

[@VVEGA2940]

If they knock at your door and "ask" to come in, you're legally allowed to deny them entry, and there's nothing they can do about it

[@stubones]

Even if they bring a 🐖 👮‍♀️ along.

[@luluah1198]

True but I’m a complete walk over . I’m fortunate my husband is more gobby and confident . Not sure what I would do if he wasn’t around … I’ve had these letters in our new rental, literally the next day after we moved in? They soon piled up in 4 months . One actually had a window cut out on the envelope and it did scare me it said “we are coming on the 24th October” . But when I opened the letter it revealed “we are coming on the 24th oct but are you going to be available?😂😂. After this I completely ignored them. I remember in one property 10 years ago my husband let them in . I didn’t like it just feels like they’re infringing on our privacy with our toddlers around . But yeah they saw we had a TV set to use for my in law with dvds . And for videos games . We have one in my in laws still it gives her a sense of day and night . If we didn’t do this for the 3 hr increments I wasn’t there she would Sleep then all night she would stay awake . So yes she has a license but because of her age she doesn’t have to pay . So no threatening letters for her, plenty for me ;)

[@doberman194]

@@stubones you only have to start talking about the BBC being a p.eedòring then watch how uncomfortable they both become before dispersing 😄👏👍

[@MrSmoore77]

They do try it on pretty hard these days as it's run by capita now

[@markylon]

@@Lamster66 I think you're factually incorrect. ALL TVS have the ability to receive BBC programmes or any live programme, but if you don't use it for that purpose but only watch KZbin/NETFLIX etc, they cannot prosecute you. It used to be having a device capable of receiving, but they changed the law to actively watching it. These are the reasons you need a TV LIcence: If you have a TV that can pick up BBC but you don't watch then you DON'T NEED a licence unless you're doing one of the following If you’re watching live TV, you need to be covered by a TV Licence: if you’re watching on TV or on an online TV service for all channels, not just the BBC if you record a programme and watch it later if you watch a programme on a delay to watch or record repeats to watch or record programmes on +1, +2 and +24 channels to watch live programmes on Red Button services even if you already pay for cable, satellite or other TV services

[@karlgookey]

I paid for years until 2017 when I realised the only thing I watched BBC for was Eurovision. I told them that I didn't watch TV and luckily the day that someone came to check was the day we brought my newborn son home from the hospital. I said it wasn't a good time for him to come in and the enforcement officer said I'm going to be busy enough with a newborn and I won't need any more stress, so he would put on my account that he had been in and seen we didn't have a TV. We haven't had any letters or visits for the past 5 years.

[@aprilnya]

Eurovision is free on KZbin nowadays :3

[@parkchimmin7913]

Besides, nowadays, people watch from their phones or laptops. Television is dying and the only purpose it serves to display stuff from your phone (like a steaming app) on a larger screen.

[@IncubiAkster]

@@parkchimmin7913 I dont know if thats true or not for families. You arent having a family sit and watch tv together on a smartphone. And I presumed the only people watchign stuff on their smartphone are kids using it for ticktok. But then again I just assume people have PC's or smart TV's so dont really watch crap on their tiny phone. Who wants to watch a beautiful movie on a phone :S

[@parkchimmin7913]

@@IncubiAkster You can connect your phone to the TV. It works on most TVs as long as you have an adapter (although, I think most TVs are smart TVs nowadays. So it comes with that function).

[@infrasleep]

You don't have to say anything to them other than "Don't need a licence" and then shut the door on them. They have no right of entry and can only enter your house if you are fool enough to let them. Just fill out the on line "Dont need a licence" declaration every two years and you wont hear from them. If you do-ie they call-remember its either "Don't need one " close the door or dont bother opening the door at all.

[@metube9541]

Years ago they advertised that a TV detector van was operating in your area. People actually believed that they could detect what you were watching on TV 🤣🤣

[@24magiccarrot]

It was actually the army that brought that scam to its knees because the armed forces contacted the TV licensing board stating that technology would be really useful to us don't suppose you want to share it, and when they were told they were bluffing the armed forces exposed them.

[@metube9541]

@@24magiccarrot Interesting.

[@raithrover1976]

They could, certainly back in the days of analogue. When TV licensing enforcement used to be the remit of the GPO (now Royal Mail and BT) my dad used to have to do "TV visits" and they would knock on people's doors and tell them what they had been watching just before they got up to answer the door.

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@raithrover1976 That's because they could usually see or hear it through the window. 🤣

[@metube9541]

@@raithrover1976 Only by listening for the TV audio. There was absolutely no way they could "detect" it any other way.

[@Yelluz]

TV licencing is utter bollocks. The worst that ever happened to me in 20 years of not having a licence was someone came to the door while I was at work and left a note that they'd called. And if you happen to answer the door, just tell them to piss off as they have no legal power to enter your property. Good video mate 👌🏻

[@robertpawlowski4548]

This the actual reason why you’re parents tell kids to not open the door to strangers

[@Anvilshock]

I guess your parents never told you the difference between "you're" and "your".

[@Anvilshock]

@@pioruns Your point? English may or may not my first language, either. Now what?

[@alansharman3644]

@@Anvilshock Im getting sick of where this thread is going. To all those complaining about spelling or punctuation GET A LIFE. You kind of lose the argument when you fail to see the point. It just makes you look ignorant to other peoples points of view and pretty childish too.

[@Anvilshock]

@@alansharman3644 "You fail to see the point" - Mighty bold of someone to say this while exactly failing to see that making such comments isn't an indicator of seeing or ignoring people's points at all, just like having lunch doesn't mean one is ignorant of breakfast. Plus, it's exactly not childish. What is childish, however, is becoming disproportionately defensive and taking such comments as attack at one's person when it's addressing nothing more (and nothing less) than that person's CHOICE of performance. Worse yet, when it's someone's as valiant as uncalled-for white-knighting "defense".

[@AquaFan1998]

Just tell your kids that if a stranger says their a tv licence officers then they are kidnappers, tell them no and close the door, the door is magic and will stop them trying to grab you, saying no activate the magic protection the door has 😂

[@freddyokel]

Got a friend who doesn't have a TV. They keep sending him letters. He doesn't reply. It's been 20 years now. They've never turned up.

[@jaybe2908]

I deliver the letters, probably one every two weeks to the same places (quite a few of them), for the time I have been on this current route about ten years. So last month I cancelled my licence because it's obvious they never follow up on their threats. Being a postman I sent the letters back with my name on as "gone away" so they send "the occupier" ones now, which I just bin.

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

@@jaybe2908 Here's something I don't understand. Whatever happened to the word "occupant"? "Occupier" makes me sound like an invading army that's conquered my own home! 😂

[@Dockhead]

@@berniethekiwidragon4382 thats all we are to them

[@jaybe2908]

@@just_saw_dust I wish I could do that, but unfortunately not, still they will be sending them in a festive red envelope soon, something to look forward to.

[@aliasofanalias7448]

@@jaybe2908 Best thing is they can't take "the occupier" to court

[@RaefonB]

The debate around keeping/scrapping the license - essentially, the debate around publically funding the BBC or not - is a complex one (and really significant to a small island whose main exports are creative arts ones, such as TV shows... :-s ) One thing I would point out, Evan, is that people focus on the "no ads" thing of the BBC like it's about convenience, but it's actually about independence from advertising money. There are some well-known examples in the U.S. of things that couldn't be aired or had to be cut from TV shows because companies objected to their commercials being broadcast next to those shows - the BBC is currently not influenced by other corporations in that way, it's celebrated as an independent media platform for that reason. It's something that deserves protection from privatisation, but it's difficult to fight for when so few of us are watching enough live television to justify paying a license fee, as you say!

[@thegreypenguin5097]

I agree that adverts should not be introduced but why not pay through it nationally instead of these stupid letters and licenses!?

[@andrejz2438]

As an almost exclusive watcher of BBC channels and content for these reasons, perhaps the advantages appeal to me far more than others, I agree. I personally hope the BBC stays publicly funded and free of influence of advertisers.

[@amyw9940]

Completely agree. As a teacher, we also use so many of the BBC teach videos and resources and the BBC ‘school’ schedule throughout lockdown was so helpful. Also, being Welsh, we have so many regional specific shows that air on BBC Wales which just wouldn’t get made if it took on the same format as something like Netflix i.e. it’s not just about the ability for TV shows to get made in the UK, it’s about the regional specific shows that we just wouldn’t see if we didn’t have the platform for regional TV that the BBC gives. Yes, we have S4C but that is a predominantly Welsh language channel so not accessible to everybody. I’m sure it’s the same in other regions across the UK too but I feel it’s particularly important to us as a smaller country, allowing us to produce/consume our own forms of discrete entertainment that are important to our culture/identity (it wouldn’t be the 6 nations without Scrum V on BBC Wales). Anyway, that’s my input- I’ll save BBC radio/BBC radio Wales for another discussion 😂.

[@RaefonB]

@@thegreypenguin5097 Totally agree the threatening letters are unnecessary. Same as Evan, I own a TV but it's not plugged in and I don't watch live TV or BBC iPlayer. There is a way to go online and declare this (the website should be mentioned in the letters), which then means you only get a letter once a year/every few years, where they ask you to confirm if your TV situation is the same. Maybe Evan's not noticed, or it's different in his region of the UK...? If they made citizens pay for it through a national tax instead of a license then people like Evan and I would have to pay despite not benefiting from it as TV viewers, so in my view the licensing situation is appropriate.

[@RaefonB]

@@amyw9940 That's a really good point - the regional stuff that gets made, and the educational resources! In a comment further down I discussed the writers development programmes and mentoring schemes and opportunities for screen/radio writers that are provided by the BBC and will likely all disappear when the funding gets cut. There are lots of reasons to support the BBC and the licensing. I know I'm a hypocrite as I don't currently pay for a TV license, but I'm on low income and don't watch TV or use iPlayer - if I could afford to, I would pay it even if I knew I wouldn't watch much telly because there are other ways a person can benefit, and I know it's important for others out there.

[@ianoliver7271]

I'm British and an OAP (Ordinary Aged Prick) and haven't paid a TV licence for years. The last letter I got from them stated that someone would be coming to my property on the 3rd of November. Nobody turned up. This is the fifth similar letter I have received this year.

[@wendykelly8551]

You should've sent them email or something saying.. hey I brought cakes had the kettle on you never turned up,,,

[@twocsies]

Please turn up, I've got a little of tea and we can watch some KZbin shorts.

[@byebye2232]

I am international student in recommendation. The warden stop the ‘Tv guy’ at the front entrance😂😂

[@clairelovescats7175]

I remember as a naive 20 year old who’d just moved into my first house, I spent an age sorting out the usual utilities etc but never thought of this. The Tv licence guy showed up at my house in his van and actually read me my rights, “whatever you say may be taken into evidence” etc 😂

[@bekah4137]

Honestly some of them they think they’re so hard 🤣

[@LabradorIndependent]

Would be worth it just to say "Nah I'm alright" and close the door on someone reading you your rights.

[@clairelovescats7175]

@@LabradorIndependent I would do it now if it was regarding a TV licence 🤷‍♀️ but then I was no more than a kid who was excited to get her first house. He scared the shit out of me!

[@toriwilson8145]

@@clairelovescats7175 exactually the same thing happened to me. Scared me so i payed up.

[@themothman3726]

British authorities are some of the least threatening on the planet. Except for the SAS, they're terrifying.

[@amiscellaneoushuman3516]

I think comparing the TV License to streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime misses the point. at its heart the TV licensing system, for all its flaws, is based on the principle that broadcast media should be a public service whilst streaming services are fundamentally based on viewing their content as a product to be sold for profit. whether one is better than the other is up to people's individual opinions but they are ultimately different things which aren't interchangeable.

[@DSQueenie]

Thiiiiiiiis.

[@damionyates4946]

Indeed this is why they can afford things like shows for minorities like knitting shows for the elderly. I don't watch that sort of thing but I respect that these shows exist for those people, as there isn't a hope in hell this could afford to exist on Netflix as it's not profitable.

[@b9y]

Errr it's basically the same thing though. Plus the licence is a sham, we all know that. It funds the BBC yet the BBC make money from advertising which it was never meant to do, they claim it's also for C4 / ITV etc but they're advertising based funding. It's all just another tax to make the Gov richer.

[@timothyduggan2263]

Whatever your views on the validity of the TV Licence (personally I loathe the BBC and pretty much everything they produce), what is undeniable is that the bully boy tactics used by third party so called 'enforcement' agencies is disgraceful.

[@lmaoroflcopter]

@@damionyates4946 yup. TV shows like springwatch or educational content like GCSE Bitesize programming, etc all of that would be sacked off in an instant.

[@_Davepocalypse]

I have written to them from almost every property I've lived in. They always say "Thanks for letting us know you don't need a TV licence, we may still send round an agent to confirm". 1. They rarely actually come (I have never had a visit over 6 properties). 2. They are the same agents they send for non-payment. You can say no and close the door. They aren't government agents with elevated powers of entry, they are people from private companies. They can do one.

[@dragonflopus6425]

The people who come out and who are on the phone are all Capita Employees :D

[@wot4606]

Just pay the license fee you thieving gimp

[@serenityinside1]

@@dragonflopus6425on commission nonetheless.

[@infrasleep]

They have no rights of entry and are no more than door to door salesmen trying to get you to buy a licence-no different to someone knocking on your door trying to get you to buy their brushes and mops.

[@okaykatieokay]

My main concern around these things is that the TV license doesn't just fund the TV arm of the BBC, but so many other incredible things. The BBC already struggles with funding, which is such a shame. Although I don't watch a huge amount live telly, I watch BBC funded doumentaries and films, I use (and criticise) BBC News, BBC Bitesize helped me through school, Good Food is my go to place for recipies, and I do watch a decent amount on iPlayer. Maybe I'm just all sad because they announced the end of CBBC which was literally my childhood I just think people take the BBC for granted a lot of the time (although i agree tv licensing letters are disgusting in the way they try to scare people. students did you know you probably don't legally need a tv license!)

[@joewatson3386]

They are ending CBBC!!!!!

[@ElisabethOrchard]

Excuse me, what? They announced the end of CBBC?!? :O When did they do that? When will it end?

[@BassBanj0]

@@joewatson3386 they aren't ending it, they are just moving it online

[@joewatson3386]

@@BassBanj0 oh I see, still

[@elsnooko]

I agree! I think so many people don't realise how much the BBC offers us and how much it invests in the UK cultural sector. Everyone complains about the threatening letters but they literally provide a link to stop receiving them if you don't watch TV (it's what I did as a student when I couldn't afford a tv license!). Whilst I agree the TV license is an outdated method of funding the BBC, I fear what will become of UK television without proper funding / if it becomes privatised.

[@TheMissnola]

In Denmark the tv license was made into a media license and was recently put under tax collection instead of it being a separate thing to pay. There's basically no way of getting around it here because if you have a smart phone you have access to everything you do on your tv.

[@babalonkie]

People forget that the infrastructure to watch air based or line based transmissions costs money... 99% of the time... the tax payer. It's just done differently everywhere. UK should just do what Denmark is doing and put a small tax if needed on normal tax to maintain the media infrastructure. It then should charge for streaming BBC services like every other company.

[@j.p.h.8126]

Same in Sweden.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Frankly, I think we should do that here in the UK. I don't want to lose the BBC, or the other channels it supports.

[@starchildfan83]

Same in Norway.

[@brettcarruthers8838]

That's actually a smart idea

[@jupiterthesun3217]

Few days after arriving in the uk I had my first visitor in the shape of a tv licence inspector! I happily opened the door to him as I was very new to the uk and literally friendless, but he wasn’t friendly and pointed at my little tv and said “ do you have a tv licence “ I said “ what is a tv licence “ he said he’ll need my name and I gave him my name and few days later I received a court hearing letter! So just like that I became a criminal few weeks after my arrival in the uk ! Had to pay for a lawyer and ended up paying a fine and that was my welcoming ceremony in the UK in 1983!

[@pjcnet]

That's rough, if you'd known better you would have just said no thank you and shut the door, you can have as many TVs as you like as long as you don't use them to watch live TV as it's broadcast or BBC iPlayer, back in those days however virtually everyone needed a TV licence, although a TV could still have been connected to a VCR, computer or games console even then without requiring a licence. Did he see the TV on? If so and it was live TV you were screwed, but it was a waste paying for a lawyer in my opinion since the fine is on average only £150 if you just plead guilty and a lawyer would cost much more (the maximum is £1000, but it's barely ever given), not sure what it was back then.

[@LupaDomina]

I am so sorry they were allowed to do that to you

[@AnnabelleJARankin]

So sorry jupiterthesun, I hate to hear people who move to GB being treated so disgracefully.

[@hermetic_wizard777]

The UK makes episodes of the Twilight zone look normal.

[@hermetic_wizard777]

Who knocked on the door after that Agent Smith from the Matrix?

[@sianswinton4623]

After my husband and I got our own place we genuinely didn’t have a TV and didn’t think to let them know and someone came to our door at like 8pm when I was home alone and said something like “I’m here to check if you have a TV” and I was like “Absolutely not.” Creeped me the hell out tbh and made me wonder if there were people who weren’t legit and using this to scare people into letting them into their homes? Idk, might be a stretch but I was super uncomfortable the rest of the night. We also lost my dad right before the pandemic and couldn’t go and empty out his house for months because we couldn’t travel. By the time we got in there we could barely open the door for threatening TV license letters. Obviously they couldn’t have known but still quite upsetting to see his name of several threatening letters. I’m all for public domain broadcasting but the way they go about it really doesn’t sit right with me.

[@bunnywar]

Public TV doesn't mean Public domain

[@petergersbach7355]

Check what the Australians do; much more civilised.

[@unstoppableExodia]

@@petergersbach7355 yeah in Australia we don’t have the Conservative party sending threatening letters demanding a license fee to sustain the ABC. Instead they have been pushing for privatization by underfunding the public broadcaster (death by a thousand cuts) so that public interest and support for it is eroded and so there’s no opposition when they eventually sell it off to Rupert Murdock or some other rich prick who will repurpose it for some kind of propaganda

[@InterdimensionalWiz]

IF YOU PHONE AND TELL THEM YOU DONT HAVE A TV, THEY WILL COME ANYWAY, IT SAYS SO IN THEIR THREATENING LETTERS.

[@dcarbs2979]

It is one way scam artists try to enter your home. Not so much now as so many know you don't have to allow access to TV licensing.

[@Hudute]

I think you are missing a huge point here: This license money is the main funding for the whole of the BBC, not just TV. Perhaps most importantly their news division. In a country that is increasingly struggling with news monopolization as fewer and fewer owners(hip groups) control an ever higher percentage of outlets the media becomes much easier to control. More fundamentally: It is a huge problem for a democratic society for only media company owners interests to be presented in media. Public broadcasting can be a valuable asset to make sure a variety of views are represented publicly which is vital for a thriving democracy. The best example for the problem of an (almost) completely privatized media system is of course the US, where we can see the window of represented opinions a lot smaller than in other democratic industrial countries. This is of course not the exclusive fault of the media system but few observers would deny the impact. That is the state of affairs the Tories seem determined to emulate.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Exactly! I've always paid for my licence, and I am happy to. The idea of losing the BBC is abhorrent to me. Whether I watch it live or not isn't relevant.

[@FredrikOstrozanszky]

This!

[@zenzetsu]

I thing you are the one missing the point of the video, it is not about whether or not the bbc is good or bad, its the way they go about getting people to pay for a licence, with lies and threats which is clearly the wrong way of doing things. I would pay for a tv licence if they didn't try to go after me and accuse me of a crime i didnt commit

[@puclopuclik4108]

That's true, but BBC needs to change. The price compare to another services is unreasonable and the way they demand the payment is close to fraud. If the payment would be symbolic like £2 a month and the rest of the tv would be funded via commercials and government funding. You can't expect people to pay £15 s month or what ever is the price now for just BBC. And people in BBC are overpaid anyway.

[@David_Trowbridge]

crazy thought: the bbc should have adverts like every other channel

[@gezzarandom]

I remember hearing about an estate agent who was viewing an empty property and a tv licence inspector showed up and tried to sell him one. Another one was a friend in work was clearing out his parents house after they moved to a retirement home and guess what? 😂 They don’t even know if a house is empty, just licensed or unlicensed.

[@yuliapetriv8351]

I disagree on the argument that Netflix or Apple will be a good enough substitute to BBC. Both a) make the content appealing primarily to US users, and will overlook topics more relatable to British culture and society b) have no obligation to keep filming in UK. Corporations come and go, but the state will likely stay and keep running programs to fund British filmmaking, profitable or not.

[@silviasanchez648]

C) Private companies have no cultural or social obligation. They'll make whatever brings money even if it's utter rubbish.

[@ginathecookie]

@@silviasanchez648 so true

[@amyskyhigh3121]

There's All4, you can pay but also option for free too! Just has ads but eh that's what you get watching it on TV too 😅

[@lmaoroflcopter]

@@silviasanchez648 we can see this in Netflix currently. Some of the shows on it are ridiculous for commercial product placement.

[@clovermark39]

I’m a so called boomer but haven’t watched live TV in over 6 years. Just inform the tv licensing people that you don’t watch live tv and no problem.

[@SchokoKeksSuchtie]

As someone from Germany (where you literally have to pay for TV licensing just cause you’re car is capable of using a radio and they CAN and will use law enforcement if you don’t pay) I actually needed assurance by my British friends that they literally cannot fine me for anything in the UK 😂

[@coloradoing9172]

Wow, and I thought the Nazis were purged ages ago. Sucks to live in a state like Germany.

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

They can't. The police needs a warrant to search your home. The same for the TV License "Authority". They are not even a government department. My ex-housemate turned one of their inspectors away, not letting him in or giving his name. Nothing they could have done.

[@karlbassett8485]

Yep, a lot of these videos, and the people commenting on them, clearly don't know that lots of countries have a TV licence. Some, like France, make you pay it for just owning a TV, even if it is unplugged and behind the sofa, and they include it with the property tax forms so you can't just ignore it.

[@dcarbs2979]

What if your car doesn't have radio capability? Something pre-war or a racer for example?

[@JaidenJimenez86]

You can literally tell them to fuck off and nothing will happen

[@clownbag]

The fact that I knew exactly what letter you meant before you said it proves your title is 100% spot on. 😂

[@iamlikemex]

Evan, listen to “Proud of the BBC” by Mitch and just listen to the amount of services that they provide. I think the beauty of it is that there’s services that don’t make profitable sense - the shipping forecast is an easy example of this, but there are hundreds of services they provide. BBC Bitesize is an invaluable resource to school children. The fact that CBeebies and CBBC don’t have advertisements to children is a huge benefit. Scrap that, the fact that none of the BBC’s services have adverts (when viewing from within the UK) is something I think we would be at a huge loss to lose. And there’s talk about a subscription service, for example, but the way the license fee is currently done means the BBC gets funding to do a lot more than just television programming… if they went to a subscription model then I highly doubt the same quantity of people would pay the same equivalent amount. Maybe it’s just my anxiety of change and me being a little patriotic about the BBC (I feel I’m a dying breed in that matter at the age of 22), but I really quite like the current system in the grand scheme of things. I do however agree that the letters ought to be a little less threatening and deceptive

[@iamlikemex]

As an addendum to this; I think a lot of the problems here are due to government cuts on the issue. The free tv licensing has been reduced significantly in the past few years, meaning it’s a greater financial stress on people with lower incomes. The big problem of tv licensing is one that’s been manufactured over the recent decades by the government. The BBC are receiving less funding and it’s already been announced they’re going to be cutting their services; a lot of valuable ones too. Having a national broadcaster that is independent from the government that doesn’t rely on appeasing corporations is something I think we’ve come to take for granted.

[@neilg4208]

It's coverage of coronavirus has been a disgrace

[@shadowcat4529]

@@neilg4208 What do you mean?

[@neilg4208]

@@shadowcat4529 They never gave anything about the age and health demographic of those at serious risk... almost exclusively those in extreme old age or with comorbidities. Those people should have been 'shielded' while the rest of us got on with our lives. The BBC has almost entirely ignored the Great Barrington Declaration, preferring instead to parrot the government line

[@TherconJair]

The biggest issue here is, that we are witnessing a huge contraction in opinions and biases due to the massive concentration of publishing houses. They do like to quote how many different titles there are and that everything is well, but most of the publications have the same articles written by the same staff. The pandemic caused huge losses in ad revenue for ad financed publications (here in Switzerland up to 80%) and it is causing an acceleration of the process. Small papers either die, get bought up by a big publisher and filled with the same articles their other papers get filled, or they get bought up by wealthy people with an interest to disseminate their opinion (that generally means wealthy older conservative right wing millionaires/billionaires - in Switzerland's case, Christoph Blocher already owns 38 papers - he should be a known name since he's the "Father" of the Swiss People's Party and most people will be familiar with the fearmongering adcampaigns they launch). At the same time big publishing houses do not primarily make their money through publishing anymore, but rather through the divested classified ads that do not need a publication filled with news and information to get eyes on them. And in this time we have constant attacks on public broadcasters and attempts to get rid of them. Their deliberate setup keeps them away from most influences and they can't be bought out. This includes the financial setup with fees instead of tax money as politicians have control over taxes and budgets and could use this lever to influence the public broadcasters. There is a huge issue with switching to a subscription: We live in democracies. In democracies, everyone needs access to information to make a political decision and vote accordingly. With the switch to a subscription model not everyone needs to pay and thus not everyone will get access to the information necessary for their participation in political processes. And that even counts for people not watching public broadcasters - the information they provide is used by other media they may consume. If this is removed, who is willing to spend the money to do research? Research is expensive and it is much easier to just fill the paper with soft news (information not relevant to political processes, i.e, "The ten cutest kittens", "Princess X seen sunbathing") as they are cheap to produce and gain reach (akin to Reality TV in the entertainment sector). Additionally, making it a subscription only also means a lot less money available for research, especially on more local and regional levels.

[@nbartlett6538]

I understand that watching live TV without a licence is a criminal offence. However I don't know of any other crimes where you have to write to a government agency every year to tell them you haven't done it. Maybe I *should* write to TV Licensing listing all the murders and robberies I haven't committed? You know, just in case.

[@grahvis]

Or you could just ignore them.

[@BedsitBob]

You don't *HAVE* to write to them every year, or indeed at all.

[@theotherside8258]

there are some taxes where you have to make nil returns every year

[@BedsitBob]

@@theotherside8258 The TV tax isn't one of them.

[@nevillemason6791]

Supposedly, life doesn't exist without a tv. No one gets chased for not having an alcohol licence, fishing licence, driving licence, shotgun licence, betting licence, etc.

[@nelsonhibbert5267]

I had a house I was renovating. It was completely empty for 5 years. The letters started turning up. Initially, I would log on to their site and say not required, and they would leave me alone for 6 months. Then to declare you didn't need one, they changed the online form so now you have to put in your name and personal details. I stopped responding and started getting these letters, that start off in white envelopes and then the envelopes turn red when it gets "serious". I ignored them until the cycle of white and red started again. They never turned up. They'd be welcome to look round and see there isn't even a bed. Twats.

[@beeurd]

I haven't paid for a TV licence in years (only watch on demand streaming services). Made the mistake of talking to the TV licensing goons on the doorstep once and they deliberately misconstrued what I said and I got fined for it. Social anxiety and naivety combined to stop me from reading the situation correctly at the time. If they ever come round again I'll very politely tell them to get bent.

[@samconroyy]

They can fine you based on your words? Is a police officer present when they visit? Can't believe that would hold up in court.

The only words you say to them are "no" and "bye".

[@coloradoing9172]

How exactly did they fine you?

[@beeurd]

@@samconroyy They get you to sign their form after they have spoken to you, in hindsight in should have carefully read the form, but like I said anxiety clouded my judgement and I didn't. They used the form to take it to court, I initially considered pleading not guilty but was warned that if I was found guilty then they could increase the fine, so I opted to just pay it and be done with the stress.

[@samconroyy]

@@beeurd No judgement mate, I'm the same. Even people I'm expecting at the door I sometimes fumble my words, poor delivery drivers must think I'm special.

[@RosLanta]

I'm afraid your argument that Netflix and Apple make content in the UK doesn't work. Yes they film here but they are not making programming that feels British or has a primarily British audience. US funded shows and films tend to have a very different feel even when they use UK talent. An example I can give is that a few years back Nickelodeon made House of Anubis, a TV series set in a UK boarding school, with a largely British cast, and was filmed just up the road from where I live in Liverpool. I watched it. I enjoyed it a lot but none of the characters acted much like British people, they used American words and talked about doing American things. It was clearly made with an American audience in mind even though it aired here too.

[@darronb248]

But it still had uk employees. Which makes your argument contradictory and void...? It doesn't matter who its shown to they still got employed . THATS WHAT AN ACTOR IS....

[@Treblaine]

It's a nice idea for to have it dedicated to making shows for British people but British people includes young people which the BBC clearly doesn't care about. The problem is 95% of young people in the UK don't watch TV with any regularity and creative people in the UK don't want to make retirement programming. All the talent is leaving the BBC because the BBC isn't interested, they didn't give an opportunity to Charlie Brooker who had to go to Channel 4 and then Netflix to make Black Mirror. Where's the great British talent? It's not with the Beeb. I've had the option to watch TV while looking after my Grandad and there's NOTHING on there that is appealing to me. It's endless nostalgia for a time decades before I was born and I'm not that young, I'm in my 30s! It's gameshows, chatting, cookery programs, antiquing, repeats, ancient old movies and traditional sports. Even scrolling through iplayer there's so little worth watching and the little that is most is available on other streaming services that I'd be far more likely to get as they're better value for money than a TV licence fee. House of Anubis may not be the most incredibly British show but at least it exists and actually tries to appeal to young people.

[@LaPOLEA]

Nore dose the BBC, they don't make program's for English people anymore.

[@dave___]

The letters escalate more and more to scare you into acting, but even if you get to the "We will visit your property on x date", nobody shows up and then they sort of reset and start sending the same letters again. What's even worse is that if you rent a place for a fixed period and then think to extend your rental, even if you tell the people "no I don't watch live TV or any of the things you assume I'd do in current year", they'll only leave you alone for a year at most; or they don't even remember that you told them "I don't watch TV, sod off" so you can't truly escape this waste of paper piling up at your front door..

[@venyngoth2529]

I really enjoyed this American perspective on our BBC TV Licence. I'm a British OAP (old age pensioner) and I've been getting these computer generated threatening letters all my adult life (apart from four years in the 1990s when I was the first person to live in a barn conversion and the TVLC didn't have the address). It is a disgraceful system that targets a minority of non-television owners. They don't know my name so the letters are addressed to "The Legal Occupier" (no one here by that name!). I haven't actually opened one of these for some years now but I save them up in case they become evidence of harassment in the future. When a man turns up to check me out, I wind him up by saying things like, "No-one here wants a TV Licence," and even, "I have a very loud scream" (old women can get away with this Lol!). It's important never to tell them your name and, most of all, don't take them seriously.

[@sofascialistadankulamegado1781]

I truly hope you can be compensated for the total grief these unscrupulous people have inflicted on you. Good on you for holding your letters as they are definitely evidence of harassment if you asked them multiple times to stop. A lawyer who would be willing to file a class action lawsuit would be the next best step.

[@JoshLStuff]

I'm sorry Evan, you're often right but BBC iPlayer is hardly "boomer Netflix" 😂. it's arguably the best *free* at point of use services that the BBC offers now and also, the Tories clearly seem to have a bit of a vendetta against public service broadcasters they cannot control so I'm more than hesitant to agree with them on this at all (I think falling into that would be terrible). As a 20yr old british born citizen, the BBC has honestly provided most of the entertainment I adored as a kid, along with many programs now, radio, presence at media events (festivals etc) with recordings of glasto/reading and they still produce great *pure* british shows. Ted Lasso is a fine mention for being filmed here but it's not about that and instead about our UK companies commissioning/making shows as opposed to US giants like AMazon,Netflix and Apple. This is also why the Channel 4 proposal makes no sense because Ch4 is known for investing in local production of new content. The BBC is obliged to make content for everyone without the pressure of competing for subscrribers/advertisers and I think it does so well

[@Andy-il7kf]

I love the beeb too. I'm 43 and it's been major to my whole life too. Tbh I only pay my license fee for the radio/podcasts really (via bbc sounds), even though that is a tiny part of the cost of the BBC, I don't have a TV just laptop and rarely do I use iPlayer. But for me its worth it. I think having the World Service and all the language desks is Vital. I hear alot of Conservatives saying the BBC is biased to the Left for the last few years, but interestingly my very Leftist friends also vehemently tell me it's biased to the Right, too. My take is the beeb is neutral reporting economically actually - e.g.. look at all the Times and Telegraph journalists that regularly are on R4 if you are worried about it being too Left. But, I do think it is Socially liberal/left - which suits me fine, live and let live and all that: but I see how could that be offensive to more Socially conservative people.

[@mandarkastronomonov2962]

Imagine living in a society where investigators working for Netflix come to your door to see if you have a valid subscription, when in fact you couldn’t care less about it? Then you find out that they are empowered by the state to do so? Do you not think that would be a bit dystopian (for lack of a better word)? I haven’t had a TV since 1993, and yet, I had someone from the TV license turn up last week. I’m all for people like yourself loving the BBC and finding good quality entertainment. But I shouldn’t have to have someone come to my door using governmental authority. Let the BBC use the same subscription idea like Netflix and Prime. Why should it be law?

[@JoshLStuff]

@@mandarkastronomonov2962 as I said, the fact that the BBC relies on the public makes it a servant to the public (whether you think so or not, financially it's true). in my opinion, the Tories want to make it private so that it truly can be controlled and no longer has that mandate to serve the public

[@lexwardle790]

I used to do this when I was at uni but no-one ever came but I was ready to tell them to get stuffed if they did. The worst part of it is they are charging the elderly when they are amongst those getting hit hard by this cost of living crisis.

[@emmaplover]

if you're over 74 (or live with someone who is) or receive pension credit, you can get a free one

[@stephtraill]

What I find insane is that I lived in halls of residence at university last year, where a TV license for our living room TV was included in the rent. However, because each of our individual rooms were under their own tenancy agreements, we constantly got letters telling us that we would be getting an enforcement visit because there was no license registered under our bedroom’s address, despite having a license for the TV in the room literally next door to my bedroom

[@24magiccarrot]

Halls of residence rent can only provide cover for a tv license in a communal area it can't provide a license for a tv you have in a bedroom which is classed as a separate address.

[@bunnylakeisntmissing]

lmao same. they kept sending letters adressed to flat 308 but we each had our own room with a letter after it like 308A so I just ignored them

[@abegarfield7031]

I used to get them while living in hostels. You have to be a bit of a wiley ol' scallywag to do the English hostel circuits so avoiding TV licencing wasn't a problem. It's impressive how most people's TVs would turn into out of place looking houseplants overnight.

[@Bazk01]

I'm in Scotland, once a year the TV licensing sends me an email asking me if I still don't watch TV. I go online and fill out the form and then I don't hear from them again until next year. I started not paying/watching as a boycott in 2014, then realised I didn't miss it and I was paying for a service I didn't use. Returned my Virgin TV box and now I stick to KZbin and streaming services.

[@jemma927]

Also from Scotland. Most of my life, my dad got at least one of these letters a month, but we never had iPlayer or anything like that and they have never been to our door. Even now, we still get these letters despite downgrading to a basic package and we stream just about all of our shows now. I'm not too sure of the specifics about payment though.

[@ahminyahnan1150]

Shhhh the lizards will boycott you

[@stubones]

That process means they leave you alone for 2 years. I know because I do it.

[@me-myself-i787]

You still need a TV licence to watch KZbin and streaming services.

[@Bazk01]

@@me-myself-i787 Nope, you need it to watch channels that are broadcasting live content. Including watching paid streaming services that broadcast live content. (Like BBC iPlayer.) Check the form you need to fill in to say you don't require a TV license. It spells it out in a series of questions. (You don't need a TV License if you never watch live content on any channel, pay TV service or streaming service, or use BBC iPlayer*.) I don't have an aerial, I don't have a set top box, I don't have freeview, I don't pay for any streaming services and I don't watch live content, and I don't miss it. They keep changing their wording to frighten you into thinking you can't go online without their license - which is a nonsense.

[@hihosilverlining]

Many years ago my ex hubby contacted the licensing people to ask could he pay monthly or three monthly because we didn’t have the money to pay a years bill in one go. (This is before the monthly came in years ago) They said no…and if you don’t cough up immediately we’ll take you to court and you’ll pay a thousand pounds fine inside the next 7 days. I’ll never forget how upset he was because he’d been honest about it.(he was very innocent) So we unplugged the set. No telly from there onwards but the kids learned to play chess, read and actually talked to each other. I took up sewing. It was interesting to see how quickly everyone adapted to no screen in the corner of the room. It wasn’t missed.

[@Syptah47]

❤

[@dmore]

It’s worth remembering the indirect effect the BBC has on entertainment in general. The BBC doesn’t directly make all the shows it airs. It’s commissions go to companies that end up making huge shows both for the BBC & others. The production company behind Netflix’s Sex Education, almost all their content has been for BBC/Channel 4. The Crown was made by Left Bank Pictures who were the first British media company to receive investment from BBC Worldwide. A chunk of Netflix’s (UK) content is shows originally made by or for the BBC/Channel 4, paid for by their funding. It’s just not as simple as “we’ve got other options”.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC turns over a £1.5 billion profit or so every year roughly.

[@peacemaster8117]

That seems like an argument for the BBC being redundant. We can cut out the middle man and just have companies like Netflix fund the shit instead.

[@dmore]

@@peacemaster8117 Not really because the aims of the BBC are not aligned with the aims of 3rd party companies. Companies like Netflix don’t have it written into their mission statement to support learning, to reflect the UK’s cultural & community diversity, to creative content uniquely British distinct from that made elsewhere and to reflect UK culture and values both internally & internationally, putting the UK into an international context to aid our understanding of the world & our place within it. Throughout its history the BBC had made shows other platforms just would not have made because they wouldn’t have been profitable or didn’t fit current trends. The BBC’s unique position allows it to take chances where a commercial business could not and this is incredibly important for art and creativity. Not just for its own programming, but in terms of what it chooses to find in other areas as well.

[@rextitan]

TV license enforcement is an aged concept. The license itself is one of the most valuable parts of the UKs public TV structure. This one payment per household, per year, gives us news, radio, narrative, sports, game shows, panel shows, children's TV AND educational web resources. And it's all made specifically for the people watching and funding it. The BBC is so important because unlike every streaming service or third party tv package, its not made for direct commercial benefit. If they just collected the cost as a tax, instead of with a pseudo-official threat squad, then I'd have no problems with it that i can think of.

[@alexfielding7191]

You can get those without legally needing a license and changing an optional tax to a mandatory one is a disgusting idea for those that don't watch the BBC, watch live tv or record tv. We should stick with the same system but make it illegal for the BBC to lie and intimidate people into paying it.

[@miniaturesteamnick]

The biggest issue with this argument, is that not paying £159 per year does not stop you accessing any of those services. (For now) I don’t have to pay a license fee to watch publicly owned content on All 4, but I can pay a small amount if I chose to go ad-free. I don’t think I’d object to the BBC moving to a similar model, and putting live tv behind a similar paywall. £13 per month (ish) would balance out the TV license, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they struggled to make up the full £3bn per year without threatening people into paying

[@alexfielding7191]

@@miniaturesteamnick That issue is of their own making, they made it so every home with a tv has instant access to the BBC so they have an excuse to intimidate and threaten people to get a TV license. How about hiking up the price as all the people who watch the BBC seem to like it so much to the point they want it to be a forced tax even for those that don't use it so they can pay the fee to keep it afloat themselves.

[@MasalaMan]

Private TV stations could and are doing all if not most all those same things, plus they could compete and wouldn't settle for mediocrity. What matters is who's working at the public networks and who they hire for production. Just 'cause we paid a license and some through our taxes doesn't mean that it will always equate to good content.

[@revengenerd1]

It's heavily biased, mostly focuses on England and to more middle class

[@strawberry942]

A tv license person came to my grandpa’s house to get him to pay his tv license, after A Lot of letters, and actually went in. He had so many instruments in his living room there was no room for a tv.

[@GrandHighGamer]

The BBC is still the UK's premier television producer (and plenty of shows are co-produced by them too). But because their news coverage wasn't glowing enough to the tories, they cut off the money used to fund the free licensed for over 75s (before immediately expressing 'shock and anger' when the BBC cancelled those free licenses due to having almost a billion pounds less funding a year for it), then eliminating the TV license (ending the assinine enforcement procedures is a good thing though), and then announcing the forced privatisation of Channel 4 which had record profits last year I believe. Whether any of their goals coincidentally align with a good outcome, it's pretty clear these actions are taking place punitively. Toe the party line, or get the axe.

[@simonnichols72]

Spot on

[@Seal0626]

This, exactly.

[@neilg4208]

The free licence for the elderly was never funded by the government... so the government couldn't take that money away, as you claim. It was funded from the licence fees paid by others...and it was the BBC itself that ended it. Recent years have shown how politically biased the BBC is...global warming, coronavirus, Brexit, BLM etc. If you want a proper news service you have to look elsewhere

[@bruhbruh2290]

BBC is simply an outdated model. needs to be subscription based, they wont do it...they will go bankrupt over night with the amount of dodgy dealings the public knows about.

[@Phiyedough]

I had not heard about Channel 4 thing. I personally think the BBC should be scrapped, the talent would still exist but would be absorbed into the private sector.

[@eveeehr]

I did a post grad in media policy, and I researched funding for public broadcasters. Public broadcasters are still incredibly important, regardless of whether they are profitable. They are independent, and independent from commercial interests. They can fund projects that would struggle to get Netflix’s attention, but still important for British audiences to see. TV licenses are not perfect, particularly because it results in irregular funding, which makes it hard to plan for projects, which means the quality of projects isn’t as high, as they don’t have the funding guarantee to allow for riskier projects. Having a well-funded public broadcaster is essential in a functioning, accountable democracy, and as such, are more important and relevant than ever.

[@dopeheaddude9651]

Utter bull the BBC report what they are told to report along with the interest of the media barons......left/right its all just a show Parliament is nothing more than a Cartel looking after the interest of the rich.....the only reason we was given the vote on the EU was just a show and will have been fixed to leave even if remain had won.......why to save there tax loopholes and havens. And they never reported on that new law coming into effect for the EU before or during the vote. BBC,Media,banks,oil firms,,,,all part of the same cartel running the world Why the lockdown world wide.....Banks have crashed again....big talk of that happening before the out break of the virus and bailed out during lockdown.....gone quite on the source of the virus....was it eating bats or was it the USA funded lab in Wuhan.....funny how the virus broke out just after the world military word games in Wuhan China.....would the worlds people allow the banks to be bailed out again so soon after 2008

[@fanfeck2844]

Why? I watch no tv and manage to function ok, and keep up with news. I don’t need to pay to watch old football matches on a Saturday night for example. What do you think I’m missing exactly?

[@ianjohnhorwood2605]

Bollocks. BBC is owned by a massive media organisation who also own everything and any thing else you can think of in the world. BBC is one part of media that continuously providing miss information and lies to the public day in day out along with our government lies, of what is truly going on in our country and around the world. For instance If no one had a TV then there would not have been any covid threats and lies affecting people's daily lives. This is how TV media is used to brainwash people into a false reality and control their lives with Threats and lies.

[@nickcoppard5335]

They are not independent from government propaganda, it is the mouthpiece of the government

[@mattyaustin336]

@@fanfeck2844 my sentiments exactly. I'm quite capable of informing myself about domestic and international goings on without the BBC... And over the years I've discerned the fact that I'm able to source far more accurate and truthful narratives through interdependent journalists and media, often these independent sources inform me of what's going on in front of our eyes and behind the scenes long before the patently propagandist and corrupt MSM attempt to divulge their drivel narratives.

[@VexedFilms]

I haven’t watched live tv in 16 years (my entire adult life) out of principal because of them sending me these pissing letters all the time. My pettiness knows no bounds.

[@chrimar456]

If you don’t want to receive those letters in the post anymore, you can just go online to the TV Licensing website to tell them that you don’t watch live TV at your address and then you won’t need to tell them ever again until you move house. That’s what I do and I’ve lived in my flat in England for 3 years with no letters from them :)

[@bekah4137]

They apparently still harass people even if they declare it like this

[@puclopuclik4108]

I just let my kids to play with it.

[@hesky10]

Came into the comments to say the exact same thing

[@gdclemo]

I did that but they started asking me again a few years later. I don't see why I should be compelled to contact them to tell them that I don't watch TV. If you have evidence that I'm breaking the law, take it to a judge. If you don't, you're just extorting people with threats. It's not my job to argue my own innocence when you haven't even got a case.

[@sheridanwilde]

@@gdclemo I also object to being falsely accused of illegal acts (and in a rude and threatening manner as well). @chrissiemar prepare to start getting letters againt soon - they aren't permanent.

[@jjbsw7198]

Before watching let me guess, TV license?

[@doctorbond1882]

Bang on, I recognised the document instantly

[@uwuchildofdoom4208]

Literally guessed before the video loaded 🤣

[@itISafakechannel]

Ayy knew it

[@Eric-jx3lb]

No. HMRC

[@rml442]

One knocked on my door once. I told him get the F**k Off my property. He said oh OK & left.

[@b9y]

The best part is IF you do let them in, they then have to get permission to take photos of the TV etc. I read about this guy who got a B&W licence and when the officer came over to look, it was just a flat-screen TV that had the colours desaturated 😂.

[@JaidenJimenez86]

I'd have put hentai porn on it and refuse to switch it off

[@daveayerstdavies]

I had no TV at all for 10 years. I got a stack of those letters and visits from the enforcement people every couple of years. They absolutely will not believe you don't have or watch TV if the property is occupied.

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

Then you can absolutely refuse to cooperate with them. You don't even have to tell them your name.

[@fetchstixRHD]

I don't even think being unoccupied is enough either 😂

[@Treviscoe]

Maybe I've been lucky, but my experience has been different (I also don't have a TV). Eventually the licensing people did accept that I didn't have one and left me in peace, apart from the fact that I have to send them a letter (which can be online) every couple of years or so saying that my circumstances haven't changed and I still don't have a TV.

[@T.E.S.S.]

except for the times when they do believe you and leave you alone

[@Treviscoe]

@Occam's Hammer Thanks. It doesn't really matter for me now because they've accepted that I don't have a TV and I don't use my computer to watch live TV broadcasts (though I do use it to listen to live radio broadcasts, which is permitted).

[@Ser-Vex131]

Outstanding video sir. TV liscencing has to be one of the biggest jokes to have ever been run in the UK, anyone coming over here to stay. Just don’t worry about it, it isn’t likely to come to anything. In my entire life i have never had these “Enforcement officers” knocking and as stated, they’d be laughed away from the front door.

[@zuai]

I've always paid for my TV license because I support not having ads. Even though I only watch things on iPlayer occasionally, I'm okay paying the £100 or so a year for it. TV licensing accounts for something like 3/4 of BBC funding and if me paying means they won't charge people who would have more difficulty paying (over 75s etc) or start running ads then I'm fine with it. Granted I'm part of the DINK gang so paying for it probably doesn't impact me as much as others.

[@rripley86]

Completely agree, but over 75s already get a free tv license

[@khwezik3894]

I thought they scrapped the free TV for over 75s?? They re-instated the paying again. Not sure if they've gone back in that or not as folks were appalled by it. Just as folks are appalled that the OAP freedom pass now has a curfew again (they can only start using it after 9.30am)

[@zuai]

@@rripley86 it's not all over 75s anymore I believe, but yeah my point was those less able to pay 😊

[@zuai]

@@khwezik3894 it was just an example of those who may have difficulty paying - I believe they were planning to change it to only be free for over 75s receiving some kind of benefit (can't remember what it was specifically or if it was reversed)

[@Gamper1]

Whats the DINK gang?

[@rempanda]

Many others have pointed out that the license itself is not an issue but the intimidation tactics are. I grew up in a house with a TV and my mam always paid the TV license and still does because she uses iPlayer and my stepdad uses the TV a fair bit. I left home over 10 years ago now, have never owned a TV myself and I don't use iPlayer, but the intimidation from the BBC does get overwhelming at times. I once naively let them check my flat because I didn't own a TV and I thought that would settle it, but they tried claiming my PC monitors were counted at TV's (which they're not, easy to argue against) and we went through a whole argument over the fact that my flat had a socket for an aerial. I had to spend a long time explaining to them that there was nothing plugged in, it was a rental flat so the socket was already there and I had no authority to remove it. In the end there was no evidence to fine me but it was a stressful time. I since learned that legally they have no authority to enter your residence if you say no so I've never allowed them back in and I just put the letters straight in the recycling. Problem solved.

[@christophernation4793]

It's not the BBC that does the threatening. It is the TV Licencing Agency, based in Bristol, a government quango set up to pull in the licence fee on behalf of the BBC.

[@SomeRandomGuyOnYouTube]

@@christophernation4793 Wrong. TV Licensing is a trade name used by the BBC, presumably so that they can distance themselves from the grubby business of intimidating people. But the only body allowed to collect the fee is the BBC itself. From their own website: "'TV Licensing' is a trade mark of the BBC and is used under licence by companies contracted by the BBC to administer the collection of the television licence fee and enforcement of the television licensing system."

[@robwatts9437]

Fun fact you can have 500 Televisions in your home just so long you only watch catchup services and watch none live broadcasting you do not need to buy a TV licence, you also are not required to talk to the BBC tv licence. Just ignore them

[@RedemptiveChief]

I think this is where Evan shows his difference because the TV license is an important part of uk culture. The programs made by the BBC that aren’t always profitable but they deserve to be made. Programs like educational shows for children, local language programmes and the marginalised programs that sometimes even channel four won’t make. Not too mention the niche artists allowed to experiment before they became commercially viable, people like Charlie Brooker, Rich hall or James Corden( even if I don’t like him very much) It also gives the much needed break from the commercial format all other tv production companies use so people can tell more complete stories without a break every 12 mins for an Ariel advert or for people to be reminded that Coors exist. In my experience the TV licences is the perfect metaphor of because I don’t directly use it it shouldn’t exist when in reality it has a lateral effect on the art you consume. Anyway love for you Evan but I think you’re wrong on this one.

[@evan]

Or the model of paying for your public broadcaster is outdated, unenforceable, and in need of change to maintain its existence long term

[@emilymisty798]

@@evan Well for example bbc I player is so much better then all the other iplayers as no ads and they do have good shows on them, it would be a shame to have to watch ads plus a lot of good shows are funded by the bbc and it would be a shame to not have them. Losing the bbc would not be good, its about more then paying a fee.

[@lucie4185]

It's not just the programmes though the BBC build and maintain the infrastructure for Radio and TV in this country it's not just the programmes you watch but the organisation behind it they cover live music organise concerts like the jubilee. There are the fundraising evenings for children in need etc. As well as their online education content like bitesize.

[@RosLanta]

​@@evan The enforcing process is messed up but I happily pay my licence fee. I do watch some live TV, but even if I didn't I still use BBC services such as news, recipe websites, iplayer etc. I'm also conscious that the BBC fund a whole variety of cultural events in the UK, and even have their own orchestras - would that be sustainable if they switched to eg a subscription service? I suspect not.

[@Emmet_Moore]

@@evan Thing is, we can only start thinking about reform once we have a left-wing government in power. Until then, scrapping the licence fee is code for privatisation. They've already scrapped LW Radio 4, new broadcasts on BBC 4, and moved CBBC online, costing the BBC thousands of jobs, and they've frozen the BBC's funding for the next two years. They're deliberate cuts aimed at destroying one of the only British institutions I'm proud of.

[@dgriite]

There is a similar yearly fee for tv/media in Switzerland. Every household with a tv or a radio, or any other media that has access to tv channels or the radio (HINTHINT smartphones and pcs/laptops with internet access) is required to pay that fee. There is a great debate as well in Switzerland about the use and amount of that fee (right now it's 365 Swiss Franks I believe), but one strong argument for said fee is that it pays for news/reporting that is independent from any free market. Said fee, down the line, avoids such issues like a Fox-News like channel, or any of the other big players in the US (MSNBC, CNN, and so on) that have their own biases and overton windows that a citizen would need to rely on if independent reporting wasn't funded. It allows for more objective reporting and information. And every citizen or resident of a country does need that, whether they have an actual TV in their livingroom or not.

[@fionabarr6064]

I totally agree with you and that’s why I’m happy to pay

[@richardhockey8442]

the BBC and unbiased, fair reporting - never the twain shall meet

[@neilg4208]

@@john_dx And it's not even impartial or even professional. Its coverage of coronavirus has been a disgrace

[@TherconJair]

@@john_dx The ofcom rules only state that an individual or organisation needs to be portrayed fairly, need to be given time to respond on the issue and that their comments and contributions can't be used out of context or cut unfairly so their statement is altered. It doesn't need to be impartial. Also, already the selection process of what to cover is introducing a bias and not covered by ofcom rules. Also, ITN is the production company for ITV News, C4 and C5 news, there is no editorial independence between the channels. Sky News is owned by Comcast. Stating the TV license isn't doing anything is completely disregarding the media concentration process.

[@mikedavison4313]

The simplest way to resolve this is for them to just cancel live broadcasting and put channels like BBC behind a paywall. That way anyone who wants to watch the stuff just pays for it like other streaming services. They would save a fortune on paying licensing goons.

[@nick7076]

Apart from the 2 main TV channels, the BBC also provides local news and weather, open University broadcasts, national and local radio, children's TV including education, internationally recognised documentaries, supports new and emerging music, maintains a range of orchestras and produces a range of live music festivals among much else. If the licence goes, I will be happy to pay my £14 per month to still receive all that. If all these become chargeable extras, the niche programming will be financially unviable and be lost. The cultural diversity of output enriches everyone, even those who don't participate. Once a product is commercial, profit is the goal. Quality suffers, vested interests become prevalent. No system is perfect but the license is imo better than subscription that is being proposed. Put it into council tax, that way those on support get it free and those with multiple houses pay more. Like a lot of things, you'll only miss it when it's gone

[@revengenerd1]

"local" not exactly true, maybe in England but theres only one BBC Scotland and it focuses more on the cities/larger towns. In the past year all I have watched of BBC content is Dr Who. Thats not worth £14 a month, and a lot of content if not most is English biased.

[@PurpleNurpleSPN]

I work in TV - and have worked for the BBC in the past as well. The BBC is a lot stricter on money than most other companies I've worked with because it's publicly funded. Unfortunately this meant my salary was crap too (part of the reason I left after 12 weeks!). It's unsustainable because the Tories capped the price for so long, it hasn't gone up with inflation. Less people watching TV is only part of the reason it's unsustainable. It needs to evolve, it used to be a radio licence, then it evolved into the TV licence, maybe a media licence like Europe could work. We need it for the unbiased news reporting and educational content. Now I don't agree around the heavy handedness of getting people to pay. All those letters to people and enforcement officers cost money, money that could be better spent. I once cancelled my TV licence for 5-6 months and I got a letter. I called them up told them I won't be having one for at least 6 months, so they said they'll send another letter in 6 months to see if that's still the case. And that's what they did, no monthly letters anymore.

[@samuelt2020]

As soon as I saw the title I instantly knew it was about TV licenses, I've lost count of how many letters they've sent me.

[@Phiyedough]

A very good point. I actually lived next door to an old lady who was in the Brethren church who don't have TVs. She got so stressed by the harassment that she used to buy a licence even though she had no TV.

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

That’s so sad

[@abbafan50986]

I remember in my first year at uni one of my flatmates picked up a tv on Freecycle. Had it plugged in to the wall in the communal area and watched it a fair bit. Came home one day to find the aerial cable was missing. Turns out one of the girls in our flat had her parents come for a visit, neglecting to tell the rest of us that her dad worked for TV licensing. When he found out we didn't have a licence he confiscated the cable. Goddamit Becky.

[@cd9400]

What a jobsworth! He wasn't even working!

[@xTwilightWolvesx]

Becky was probably not well-liked for the rest of the year 😅

[@jmurray1110]

Looks like you should have organised some frieghtners It’s hard to enforce taxes or license without any kneecaps

[@sarah6557]

I'm from uk and I don't pay 4 TV licence....... Ever........ But they do try bulling the public and they do visit your home trying 2 get inside 2 check the TV..... Its pathetic.....NEVER LET UM IN.... Ever 😂😂😂😂TELL UM NOTHING!

[@uwuchildofdoom4208]

Haven't seen the video yet but if it's the TV license ppl then ignore it if you don't use TV. You do not have to let them in if they show up. Don't ever let them threaten you ♥️

[@southvillechris]

Much as I love your videos, I think you're doing a disservice by writing off the BBC as only for Boomers. I love my Netflix, they do some great series, and I watch more KZbin than BBC these days. But commercial companies rely on a series being popular - but there's also space for high quality programmes and educational programmes that aren't just driven by profit. The environmental programmes on the BBC like David Attenborough's Blue Planet are brilliant and raise awareness of environmental issues (which are actually more relevant to younger people than Boomers, who'll be dead before the shit hits the fan). Educational programmes on history, and ones that address issues of inequality and disadvantaged groups might not appeal to companies only interested in profit margins, but can be done really well by a state broadcaster. The very fact that the Tories are scared of the BBC and want to kill it off should be a clue as to why it's important to keep it. I agree that a licence fee is a crazy way of funding it - it should come out of central taxation - but that's never going to happen.

[@TessaAvonlea]

++

[@littlearguer]

THIS

[@anembersarc]

No

[@auldflyer]

Excellent presentation, well done, much appreciated.

[@anthonymathias4043]

I think most people in the UK still do watch Live TV. I know I do, all my friends do and I’m 24. Killing Eve, I may destroy you, silent witness, eastenders and more are all amazing programmes featured on the BBC (an organisation that the public still has a lot of affection for). The TV licence is a way to pay for that without having to deal with ads when watching the BBC. It’s an annoying cost and yes the licensing people are pretty powerless and I prefer it stays that way but there’s so much excellent content that is paid for by that licence i can’t hate it that much

[@Fireberries]

Coronation Street is still very popular and was even among my peer group in primary school. We had some actors come in one day for autographs. I'm about Evan's age. I was never interested in soaps at all so I don't know how it fares today, but its still the world's longest-running soap with a fanbase so prevalent that major plotpoints are discussed on the bloody news! No idea how popular it is with kids nowadays - I'm 10 ways away from that kind of information being neither a child, a parent or a fan of the soap - but if its been enjoyed by kids for decades, it probably still is... a very specifically British experience as it may be. Edit: Oh and while I wouldn't watch TV enough to justify a licence if I were to live alone, I live with my parents and I happen to be in the same room as a lot of stuff they watch. I like the antique and home décor programmes. I'd binge watch them streamed if I could. My best friend also watches a lot of TV - mostly Britain's Got Talent and some other things I don't know the titles of. She often pauses our conversations with "brb [insert programme here] is starting on telly". TV may be dying, but there's plenty of people still watching in my experience

[@Andrew.gribbin]

There is an entire generation of people who lived through the "TV years" watching the same 5 channels and through the sky TV era in the UK. People are trapped with the notion that you need to watch this stuff as it's broadcast or record it for later viewing as that is what they have always done. Children today don't need to go through the torture of watching what their parents do on live TV and as they grow up to become the next generation live TV may become a thing of the past. We haven't watched live broadcast TV at home for over 2 years now (probably longer but that's when we cancelled our TV license.) I am not anti TV license we just don't have a need for it. Our children can't stand adverts on TV channels and always used to switch it off 😂.

[@niallblack2794]

@@Andrew.gribbin if they can't stand ads on TV then you should watch the bbc... Which is what you were paying for with the TV licence... So cancelling it because of the channels not covered by it is a REALLY nonsensical and illogical argument that holds no water. You literally cancelled the ad free TV fee to watch TV with more ads and commercial interests and product placement and sponsorship?!?

[@Andrew.gribbin]

@@niallblack2794 we were not watching anything on the conventional channels at all that's why we got rid of it. The only channels we watch anything occasionally are channel 5 and 4 via catch-up services. And not the children that's the occasional programme that us adults watch and not live. Netflix/prime are the most watched along with KZbin.

[@Fireberries]

@@Andrew.gribbin Not sure you can call it "trapped" when they're watching what they choose to watch. Like my friend who likes to be there for the premiere of shows - whether its premiering on the TV or on a streaming site makes no difference. Bit of an odd choice of word imo

[@DatedRhyme]

Saw the title, ah bet this is TV license. it was 😂

[@neecosse]

I lived in the UK for 8 years and watched TV on a flat screen tv mounted on my wall. I never paid for 1 month of the tv licensing and ignored the letters. They eventually stopped. If you live on the ground level, just make sure your curtains are closed.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Can pay, won't pay.

[@simonlevett4776]

Would it not be a better idea to do things legally. Don't watch live TV or access the BBC iPlayer so you won't need a license.

[@neecosse]

@@simonlevett4776 Well, how legal is a tv license? Let's say I only watch Sky TV which doesn't receive any funding from the BBC TV licensing scheme.

[@J_Flower]

Oh my gosh, these friggin letters! As an american young adult who moved into an apartment in the UK with exclusively other international students while in University, these letters got on my nerves. So shortly after we moved in and received the first of these letters, I messaged the landlord to ask about it since no one in the house knew anything abt it, and they said to ignore it… but I have to say the increasingly threatening letters that kept arriving would always make my anxiety spike despite being told not to worry about it. I mean no one in my house uses a TV anyway, we were all uni students, but I really could have done without that extra bit of stress every month or two for the entire year I lived there.

[@User-hg1jk]

That’s my exact situation right now. Every few months all 6 of us living here get the same threatening letter that no one bothers opening, such a waste of paper too

[@ad3z10]

The group that will really duffer from the loss of BBC content are parents, Cebebies & CBBC are by far and away the best options for children's television between the good quality content you can trust to leave on and no advertisements being bombarded at kids. For me personally though, the only thing I've watched recently is Eurovision, which I did at a mates house...

[@andyandrews55]

Most kids watch KZbin now. I don't think CBBC going online is a bad thing. It's were the kids are nowadays

[@EspatiallyGood]

Once upon a time the BBC had the monopoly on watching TV. If you wanted to watch TV you had no choice because BBC1 was virtually the only channel available and it was live. Now we have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, etc etc.... which are all "paid for" streaming services. The BBC reacted too late, and didn't change their business model to keep up with the competition. So now they are seriously losing money because people are wising up to the facts. But rather than change their business model, they have chosen to be greedy and go down the scaremongering route with these letters, which I think is immoral and a bit sick. It's caused me to lose all respect for the BBC, they are terrorising people into giving them money when they might not necessarily need to. I hate greedy corporations and I hope they go bust pretty soon.

[@NeverStopMotion123]

In Germany we used to have a very similar system, but now it’s just a fixed fee that everyone has to pay, regardless of whether you have a tv or not. Not that I watch a whole lot of classic TV, but I do watch the news/use the app of the main news programs both regionally and nationally, and I do appreciate those sources being publicly funded and not dependent on advertisers‘ interests. The shift from a per-tv to a non-debatable fee also means that there are now also publicly funded youtube channels, where they do shorter, documentary-style videos which many young people do watch. So they are at least making an effort to reach out to younger people as well, given that they are paying for the service either way.

[@roerd]

They even renamed it from "Gebühr" (fee) to "Beitrag" (contribution), because apparently asking for a fee is only legal if you are actually using the service it pays for, but there's no such requirement for a contribution.

[@martinanderson1995]

Yes Germany, says it all really.

[@popeter]

i feel like im the only person my age who watches TV these days, i like BBC shows and to me i feel like i get my moneys worth from the licence, if you watch TV its just the same as paying Netflix and getting no Ads in return

[@alexfielding7191]

You can watch tv without needing a TV license, the only time you would need one is if watch the BBC channels, watch live TV or record things. Problem is that a lot of people have gone off the BBC because they feel the quality of shows on the programme have been going downhill for some time now, people were pissed of with their intimidation tactics back then and now and the fact they originally pushed back on scrapping the tax for pensioners.

[@katiekumcgil]

Never ever ever let them physically check your tv ,they will attempt to plug it in and stich you up

[@lemonladyYT]

They're not allowed to touch any of your equipment, not even the remote. They can ask you to plug it in or switch it on, but you can refuse.

[@W417on]

As a British person I'm weirdly proud of the BBC. While I disagree that its used as a political mouth piece by whichever party is is power, that is a management issue that could, and should be swiftly changed. I do also like how depending on your political views the BBC does always seem to be bias for the opposition. I'm more than happy to pay my TV license as for the rare times I do watch TV I don't want adverts. I also want the BBC to be able to broadcast the Olympics and world cup. That's great TV, especially recently. You also use netflix as an alternative, which i feel is likely to be the first streaming service to fail out of the main one's. It's only interested in money, not necessarily producing shows. TLDR: license fee is worth it, streaming not a replacement.

[@chriswashingtonbeats]

Yh the BBC provides many great services all around

[@eilidhrodden5348]

I love the spinning of the chair moving to a different camera. It's a nice change. Love your channel BTW!

[@evan]

Thanks! I wanted to mix it up

[@CrawFail]

Regarding privatisation: The government have sold off basically everything the UK called it's own... rail, security, energy, water and sewerage, big industry like steel, the post office and Royal Mail and large amounts of the NHS,.. it's part of the reason the UK is on it's arse. Things that were doing well and profitable were attractive sales to generate instant buckets of cash that have inevitably long run out so now we outsource and buy back at inflated rates from Tory PM's friends.

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

I wonder how much it costs to send all those letters out 🤔

[@JaidenJimenez86]

Fuckall compared to the wages of the parasites who work for TV Licensing. I bet there's some twat at the top on like 200 grand.

[@jacoL8]

saw the title and immediately knew what it was about lol, I was fooled this year when I moved after I got the letter out of the blue, but next year I know what to do...

[@vatsmith8759]

I've been getting these threatening letters regularly every two months for years so I've built up quite an impressive collection. So far they haven't followed up any of their threats so it's nothing to worry about.

[@charcoal8]

My parents kept getting threats and visits from TV licensing to their very empty house that was being renovated. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@bekah4137]

I had two visits and not a single time did they then put my name on the letter after I’d given it both times 🤣

[@BedsitBob]

I've received over 130 of those letters, and had about a dozen visits. Not been to court once. 😊

[@dobr4481]

Odd that people are so virulently opposed to what is effectively arts funding. Whether you watch tv or listen to the radio or not, the license fee funds programmes & services that arguably billions ( BBC World Service etc. ) of people benefit from. Of course most people just love the tax payer funded NHS as it gives them carte blanche to disregard their health whilst taking advantage of those who do take responsibility for themselves. I'm afraid most people who complain about the tv license are Tory voting Right Whingers with a grossly ignorant view of the BBC based on the tabloid tripe they consume. The fact remains that the BBC is the greatest tv & radio company in existence & always has been...and I say this as someone who rarely watches it.

[@ConstantSorrow]

To get a warrant to enter your home TV licensing needs substantial proof you are breaking the rules, which generally they can only get if you permit them to enter your home which you are not doing so they need to get a warrant. If you have stuff you watch on the BBC or have things you "must" watch live then buy a TV license, However, 85% of what you watch on ITV, C4, or Channel 5 are available in good time on their streaming services and so long as it isn't live you can watch it without a license. And don't buy into the "TV detector vans" bollocks either, they are not watching you, there is not a single case that has been taken to court which cites any evidence collected by a TV detector van.

[@vylbird8014]

Not quite true: There is /one/ and only one case which cites evidence collected by a TV detector. I imagine that the licencing enforcement people have one which they keep in a cupboard somewhere, just so they can threaten people with it. Every couple of years they remember they have it, clean of the dust, put some fresh batteries in and take it for a test. Just to keep their threats plausible.

[@krank23]

In sweden, we had a TV license system until a few years ago. Now it's a tax instead, which is fine by me. I always paid my TV license despite not watching any live TV at all - mainly because I think SVT (swedish BBC equivalent) is doing a bunch of really good things and I'd like them to continue. They provide advertisement-free news coverage, which as a result is less sensationalized. And despite what our local right-wingers claim, it's also less politically slanted. They also produce stuff like programming for deaf people, minority languages etc. And they have a HUGE online archive of old TV productions available for free, for those sweet sweet nostalgia kicks. The good thing about it becoming a tax is that it really always was. It was never a fee paid for services rendered - the point was always to collectivaly finance something that society in general benefits from and which benefits minorities more than the majority. Pensioners, children, immigrants, minority language speakers etc. Also they make some killer documentaries available as well.

[@niallblack2794]

The free archive sounds amazing! The BBC has always been beey hit and miss about rebroadcasting archive content. Or putting it online.

[@dennisbohman3848]

Mestadels har du rätt i sak, men flertalet medarbetare har haft en vänsteragenda, något som visats både via undersökningar om partitillhörighet bland anställda, samt fällningar i granskningsnämnden för radio och tv. Men det gäller mest vissa program och framför allt under senare delen av 90talet och in på 2010, när allt skulle vara pk. Annat var det på 80talet, idag skulle ex Ronny och Ragge aldrig fått tillstånd att produceras. Där slår BBC SVT med hästlängder.

[@JustAnotherPerson4U]

@@niallblack2794 yeah, I had to go to an archive mirror site to find old bbc recipes that had been taken down from BBC food. having a TV tax instead honestly sounds better.

[@RandomlyAndrogynousFox]

Same here in Switzerland with SRF (our version of the BBC). It used to be a license fee that you had to pay if you watched TV and has now moved to a separate media tax which every household has to pay regardless of whether they watch TV or not. Because of our system of direct democracy we had to vote on it. So this change was made because it got a majority approval. And I bet the same would be true in the UK if they were to vote on funding it through a tax. Public broadcasters are an essential service for a well functioning democracy.

[@areyoustupid.....]

Good for you but our bbc makes outdated programs. Breaks its own code on political bias. Wastes staggering amount of money on overpaid talentless presenters and staff. Sells OUR programs under a private business and keeps the profits. Hates Britain and white people- actually had a job posting fornon whites only! Isn't relevant to the young and alienates the elderly....and all under threat of arrest even if you don't watch it. Time for it to go!!

[@lukedodd2993]

One thing I'd like to add, some times the Licensing lot that come knocking on your door, will have a police presence, just to try and intimidate you into getting into to your home, but the police literally have no power of this, they are usually only there as a mediator and will not get involved.

[@JaidenJimenez86]

I'd be tempted to argue that that is a waste of police time and make a verbal complaint.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

The cops are there to prevent a breach of the peace and usually accompany bailiffs calling to collect the fine for not paying for a licence. The police only attend if they believe there is a likelihood of a BotP, i.e. the homeowner has forcefully told the Crapita official to do one, previously.

[@disco_doris]

I feel like this is an area which would benefit from Evan talking to some respected Brit KZbinrs who are your friends - I'd love to see Evan talk to (for example) Tom Scott and Jay Foreman about the pros and cons of what the BBC means to the national identity of Britain. It's a unique broadcaster in the world, and has tried very hard to adapt to the changing media scene - so many online resources as well as the traditional radio and television channels. I'm not defending the weird enforcement of the tv licence, but I would like Evan to get a little more perspective on it as a cultural touchstone

[@peacemaster8117]

"As a cultural touchstone" More like an albatross around the neck. It's a dinosaur that only exists as a mouthpiece for a state which is increasingly out of touch with the people they dominate. It's irrelevant to our national identity.

[@yorkshirepud6676]

@@hangxiaohuz748 It's called talking Bollox hang prob BBC Employee

[@Treblaine]

Tom Scott and Jay Foreman not being on the BBC tells a lot. You've got this great new British talent that doesn't see any opportunity with the BBC despite the BBC having a budget of over £3 billion every year. The BBC has not tried very hard, because what's their answer to Tom Scott and Jay Foreman? What are the pros? They haven't adapted to changing "media scene" they have pandered to an ageing population of retirees who just want placid safe retirement programming. New media has just acted as a release valve. They have made a demographic time bomb as young people are growing up without a television in the house and their only association with this is threatening letters from a protection racket that demands payment and offers nothing in return except for the threats to stop.

[@brian9731]

​@@Treblaine - have you looked at the BBC's entire output? It's pretty wide ranging. The BBC's funding system is not inherently bad, it's anachronistic and that needs to be sorted sooner rather than later but to throw out the baby with the bathwater would be a big mistake for the future of this country's broadcasting.

[@Dockhead]

bbc is nothing but a joke to most brits now. harbouring pedo's and sickos for decades. just scum that skims money from hard working pockets for mediocre tv and radio. David Attenborough's work in nature has been the only positive experience from them. but that doesn't excuse the bad.

[@adamzeg3665]

In France we actually had a similar problem, where we had to pay a similar fee, with the only major difference being that the "redevance" was automatically included in our taxes, unless we explicitly said we don't have any television in our residencies. But now they will be removing this tax for the next fiscal years, to show that presidential promises have been kept. As much as tv "licensing" was less of a threat here in France, its removal could, according some experts, be really problematic to the cinema and audiovisual industries..

[@OLDCHEMIST1]

I didn't watch TV for about 10 years, and I got loads of threatening letters. One more or less called me a liar and a criminal. I wish I had sued them, as I genuinely didn't have or want a TV then.

[@pjcnet]

Just never engage with their goons, say no thank you and close the door no matter what they try to say and they will have no option but to toddle off to bother someone else in an attempt to earn some commission.

[@OLDCHEMIST1]

@@pjcnet Nowadays I would look to suing them for defamation of character, which is what it amounted to. I think they are a bit more careful with what the reminders they send out now.

[@AquaFan1998]

​@@OLDCHEMIST1in speech its slander, in writing its liable

[@OLDCHEMIST1]

@@AquaFan1998 Yes, true. Libel is writing something untrue about someone, which is actually or potentially damaging. Forgive my old school language nerdery, "liable" is responsible for something, e. g. : "He was responsible for the accident, he is liable"

[@pipwilson7435]

Publicly funded television is really important as so many great tv series would never have happened without the BBC and Channel 4 who don't have to worry about being commercially viable. The attack on the licence fee is part of a long running grievance some in the Conservative Party have against independent journalism from a nationalised company calling out the things they get wrong (tbf there politicians of other parties who don't like this as well but it's more prevalent in the tory party). Unless some other way of funding the BBC is possible, the gov't shouldn't be trying to scrap the licence fee. If you don't watch live TV or iPlayer then fair enough, you don't need to pay the licence fee and they should stop sending you letters. But the cultural landscape of this country would be impacted for the worse if the BBC and Channel 4 were to stop being publicly financed. Bob Ross on BBC 4 got me through COVID! And in a world where so much news is unreliable, the BBC is an important voice.

[@alexfielding7191]

The attack is also about them using lies and intimidation to force you to pay for a service you might not even use. Keep it optional but make it illegal for the BBC to use disgusting tactics.

[@montystelevision3238]

I had a letter saying they were visiting on a specific day. I waited in all day and no one showed up. I called to complain about my time being wasted and asked them to compensate me for their failure to visit and my wasted time.

[@BrettCahill]

I went online to tell them I don't use anything that requires a TV license and I only get a "check up" reminder every 2 years now. Bliss!

[@bekah4137]

The tv license letter can be quite threatening. I spoke to two different tv license staff at the door and they still didn’t know my name. They also tried to tell me I needed a license to watch live KZbin 🙈 It’s the greedy beeb after cash!

[@bekah4137]

@@jackoh991 I don’t watch anything like that on KZbin

[@darriendastar3941]

If you have a TV in the home, you need a TV licence. It doesn't matter if you use it to only watch streaming programmes. The actual law is pretty catch-all - and for all of the Conservatives complaining about the licence, they've left most of the legal language unchanged.

[@acacetus]

@@darriendastar3941 that's not true, it's just what they want you to think.

[@mihohobaba]

@@darriendastar3941 What you said in your first sentence is absolutely not the case. For the best free online legal information on TV licensing - consult The Black Belt Barrister, right here on KZbin.

[@bekah4137]

@@darriendastar3941 you may have a tv but not everyone’s tv is connected to be able watch stations

[@spike178]

Ignore it, TV licencing is a scam.

[@jonprice3342]

A Television Licence is required by law if you watch or record anything LIVE as it's being broadcast from a set top reciever or on an app on any device and for BBC content on BBC iPlayer You don't need a TV Licence to watch video on demand or catch up services, for personal media and monitoring purposes. Having a TV without obtaining a TV licence is completely legal.

[@FrenchieFolk]

Before you said it I knew it was TV licensing 🤣 we got multiple threatening letters saying we may be breaking the law when we specifically said we don’t want one. They couldn’t fathom we don’t want standard TV 🙈

[@LinariaFreeze]

I got o many letters like this as a student when I first came to the UK, but now I actually enjoy watching the news on BBC, so I pay my TV licence. I really enjoy what they do and think it's a good thing they're not influenced by advertisement. And I only use the iPlayer app. The threatening letters are weird though… There must be a better way of doing it.

[@josephfoulger9628]

The licence is such good value. BBC is the worlds biggest and one of the best news, weather, current affairs organisations plus all of the radio and bbc sounds and sports coverage online or on the app. I have 5 different bbc apps on my phone. I’m 35 and I reckon I’ve used bbc services nearly every day of my life, and these days probably dozens of times a day. The independent programming that the BBC funds has given us lots of the greatest tv shows ever made and all without needing to keep corporations happy. We ought to be more proud of the bbc in this country.

[@peteatkinson3500]

I agree on the whole. I just don't agree with the heavy-handed and convoluted approach they take to TV Licencing if someone decides they don't need one.

[@josephfoulger9628]

@@peteatkinson3500 yes the agents’ tactics are deplorable

[@AthynVixen]

OMG this reminds me of a couple in my book club a few years ago who never watched TV and didn't even own a TV which they proved by letting them into their home... didn't stop the shit they had to deal with...hey some people just don't watch tv... get over it lol

[@brunettekoala]

I hardly ever watch live TV, but I happily pay my license fee - the BBC isn't perfect, but we get SO much from it. All the BBC channels, BBC radio channels, investment into the tv and film industry, the schools programmes, BBC bitesize and so much more. Have had many working class young people who have got into production via the BBC internships programmes in different regions (which are PAID).

[@NikolaHoward]

Yep, same here.

[@gillianrimmer7733]

Same here.

[@tajjywajjyonionbhajji6198]

I'm a british expat now living in the usa. Thank you for highlighting the differences between the uk and usa. TV license is unfair. Especially for the programs they show.

[@kelletamas]

I don't really watch live tv, but I do listen to BBC radio a lot, which is also paid for by the tv licence. I like to think about it as youtube premium (no adverts). It is a relatively small fee to watch and listen to all the BBC content live or on demand without any adverts interrupting. + all the other channels just there if you do want to watch whatever. I think it is a great value for money and even if you can't afford you can easily get away simply not paying it. But if you can please do, before we end up losing this quite generous system