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THE BBC: AFTER THE LICENCE FEE?
THE AFTER THE LICENCE FEE?
Edited by John Mair, Andrew Beck, and Janine Chandler
Autumn 2025 is the start of a process that could prove existential for the BBC — negotiations with the government on the next Royal Charter and the level of licence fee. Debate on this has never been more febrile. Anti-BBC talk now comes from friends as well as enemies. What is the BBC getting right, and what wrong? Are there viable alternatives to the licence fee? What will the organisation look like after 2027?
Some answers are in this thirty-six chapter book. Two BBC Director-Generals, former senior television executives, media journalists, and media academics contribute.
The editors
This is John Mair’s sixty-fourth edited book — and his sixth on the BBC. He is a former BBC producer.
Andrew Beck has edited nine books in the last four years. A former teacher he now works as an adviser, author, and editor.
Janine Chandler worked in brands and innovation, as BBC Head of Brand Strategy, and now leads Jump In Puddles, a certified B Corp consultancy.
COVER DESIGN Dean Stockton
Published by Bite-Sized Books 2025
www.bite-sizedbooks.com
information @bitesizedbooks.com
Edited by John Mair, Andrew Beck, and Janine Chandler
Autumn 2025 is the start of a process that could prove existential for the BBC — negotiations with the government on the next Royal Charter and the level of licence fee. Debate on this has never been more febrile. Anti-BBC talk now comes from friends as well as enemies. What is the BBC getting right, and what wrong? Are there viable alternatives to the licence fee? What will the organisation look like after 2027?
Some answers are in this thirty-six chapter book. Two BBC Director-Generals, former senior television executives, media journalists, and media academics contribute.
The editors
This is John Mair’s sixty-fourth edited book — and his sixth on the BBC. He is a former BBC producer.
Andrew Beck has edited nine books in the last four years. A former teacher he now works as an adviser, author, and editor.
Janine Chandler worked in brands and innovation, as BBC Head of Brand Strategy, and now leads Jump In Puddles, a certified B Corp consultancy.
COVER DESIGN Dean Stockton
Published by Bite-Sized Books 2025
www.bite-sizedbooks.com
information @bitesizedbooks.com
222 pages, Paperback
Published August 13, 2025
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October 2, 2025
It is somehow appropriate that I read this as as result of listening to a podcast where two of the contributors debated whether the BBC was biased. The book stresses both the need for the Beeb to change in the face of a changing media landscape, what that change should be, and how the BBC should be funded.
Like most books comprising a whole list of essays from different contributors there is inevitably both conflict and overlap. And a handful of the contributions were dull corporate speak. Nonetheless there was plenty of genuinely engaging content for anyone who wants the BBC to exist but realises it needs fundamental change.
It was certainly interesting to see how the same problems could result in very different suggested solutions as pros and cons were discussed of subscription and taxation, hybrid or otherwise, and even some genuinely original suggestions like building a BBC AI that would act as the interface to its material. The only major irritation I had as an older person who only watches streamed TV was the tendency to label all older viewers as incapable of moving away from the old TV channels.
As someone who favours subscription for the non-core aspects of the Beeb) - the likes of Strictly, The Traitors and the latest Love Island clone as well as mainstream drama - I do also find it tedious when we see arguments that subscription would be impossible to implement before the late 2030s because not everyone has the internet. Not everyone has a TV aerial (or even a signal) - I’m sorry, but this is a non-argument. We could and should have partial subscription by next year.
If you too care about a better future BBC, it’s worth a read.
Like most books comprising a whole list of essays from different contributors there is inevitably both conflict and overlap. And a handful of the contributions were dull corporate speak. Nonetheless there was plenty of genuinely engaging content for anyone who wants the BBC to exist but realises it needs fundamental change.
It was certainly interesting to see how the same problems could result in very different suggested solutions as pros and cons were discussed of subscription and taxation, hybrid or otherwise, and even some genuinely original suggestions like building a BBC AI that would act as the interface to its material. The only major irritation I had as an older person who only watches streamed TV was the tendency to label all older viewers as incapable of moving away from the old TV channels.
As someone who favours subscription for the non-core aspects of the Beeb) - the likes of Strictly, The Traitors and the latest Love Island clone as well as mainstream drama - I do also find it tedious when we see arguments that subscription would be impossible to implement before the late 2030s because not everyone has the internet. Not everyone has a TV aerial (or even a signal) - I’m sorry, but this is a non-argument. We could and should have partial subscription by next year.
If you too care about a better future BBC, it’s worth a read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review