JOHN CLEESE has hit out at the state of BBC’s TV programming as well as Richard Sharp, it’s new chairman.
The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers legend, made his frustrations clear in a tweet posted on Sunday night. It comes as Mr Richard Sharp, previously a banker for financial giants Goldman Sachs, donated around £400,000 to the Conservatives.
John Cleese – © NBC News John Cleese – © Pendulum Summit
Mr Cleese stated, “I can remember when we had the best TV in the world. Now we have dancing and baking.”
He went on to further attack the BBC’s current head, saying, “A very rich banker, who studied economics at Oxford, and who is a big contributor to the Tory party, is obviously the ideal person to help the BBC start making some good quality programmes again.”
Richard Sharp – © The Times Richard Sharp – © Jewish News
Head of the BBC, Mr Sharp, is due to lead on negotiations between themselves and the Government, relating to the future of the broadcaster’s licence fee.
The ex-banker was formerly a director of the Centre for Policy Studies, which has knowingly called for the abolishment of BBC license fees, as stated in the Byline Times.
Mr Sharp joins up with new Director-General, Tim Davie at the BBC, as the broadcaster’s new senior appointee.
Mr Davie himself has also had close ties with the Conservative party, having served as the deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservatives during the 1990s.
Tim Davie – © BBC Tim Davie – © Public Media Alliance
Both appointments were made during what some have termed as a “culture war” facing the BBC, as big concerns continue to surface over the future of its existing fund model.
The Telegraph claimed that Mr Davie, is looking to restore “trust and confidence” in the broadcast company, by reflecting a broader political spectrum in a much better way, including the booking of more right-wing comedians.
Last year reports had emerged that Mr Davie planned to tackle a perceived ‘left-wing bias’ in the BBC’s programming.
The Telegraph claimed Mr Davie is set to restore “trust and confidence” in the broadcaster by better reflecting a broader political spectrum, including booking more right-wing comedians.
Ben Bradley (Conservative MP for Mansfield), quoted “In recent years lots of BBC comedy shows are just constant left-wing rants about the Tories and Brexnottit.”
Ben Bradley – © Nottingham Post Ben Bradley – © The Independent
“If the BBC is to truly represent all licence fee payers, that needs to change.”
Other political figures have also called into question the Broadcaster’s current operating model as uncertainty continues to blossom.
John Cleese – © Happy Mag John Cleese – © BBC
Do you think Mr John Cleese makes a good argument? Let us know in the comments!
richard spendlove January 11, 2021 at 5:17 pm
For God’s sake, just let it die the death. It is halfway there already. Nope
Frederick Jackson January 11, 2021 at 5:25 pm
100 percent agree with him
James Pemberton January 12, 2021 at 1:44 am
What is Brexnotit? Do you mean Brex-no-tit or Brex-not-it?
Mike just Mike January 12, 2021 at 6:31 am
As an American who once spent his youth in the UK (England/Wales) as a dependent of an USAF family, I can say that former British Television was one of the most brilliantly inspired experiences of my young life. Having spent much of the 1970s watching tv and enjoying comedy, nature, and music programming, I found it a light-years-ahead rocket-ship-ride, compared to my returning to the US. It literally made the United Kingdom a place to return to in the 1980s, even with all the fear and difficulties in the world at that time. It has always been a calming experience returning to the UK and enjoying the programming on regular, available tv networks. That is…. until the year 2000 changed everything to complete and utter mush. God Save the Inspired Minds……from all-out complete desecration of rayional thought.
william kent January 12, 2021 at 11:42 am
Well said John Cleese
BBC should hang their heads in shame apart from a few programs
It’s all repeats and conveyer belt rubbish
Richard Freeman January 12, 2021 at 9:21 pm
The bbc are a plie of woke slime who destroy their own best shows, like Doctor Who (one the flagship show now, thanks to the gender flip, losing half its viewers) in order to virtue signal. But i find their news horribly bias in favour of the tories. Booing a Johnson’s lies removed by the bbc and replaced with applause, the constant demonization of Jeremy Corbyn and the tories changing their facebook page name to ‘fact checker’ and publishing constant lies o it, never taken to task by the bbc news. It’s Orwellian. Time to bin the bbc for good.