[all new phil]

Well first of all I’d say I know first hand that the BBC remains incredibly well-resourced, regardless of how ‘cut to the bone’ they are made out to be.

I think it’s unfair to characterise its critics as all being Tories who want to abolish it. There are plenty on all sides of the political spectrum, myself included, who want it to exist but get frustrated at just how resistant to change it is.

It doesn’t need to be all things to all men. It should exist to provide what isn’t viable elsewhere but it seems to want to compete. Why so many podcasts? The private sector provides plenty already. Why does it need to show Match of the Day? Plenty of other outlets could do this just as well. It’s also typical of them that the recent BBC News reforms actually lead to an increased headcount.

I’d much rather they did fewer things better. It needs rethinking from scratch.

(And FWIW I’d go back to the news channel being called BBC World News and making that the focus - the home of the best international news. Plenty of other outlets - both BBC and elsewhere - providing domestic news)