The Spectator

Listen: Is the BBC a national treasure? With Melvyn Bragg, James Purnell and Rachel Johnson

Last night Spectator Events hosted a discussion at Church House, Westminster about whether the BBC really is a national treasure. Speakers included Melvyn Bragg, author and broadcaster, James Purnell, director of strategy and digital at the BBC, Andrew Bridgen MP, Meirion Jones, investigative journalist, Robin Aitken, author of Can we trust the BBC? and Rachel Johnson, author and broadcaster. The discussion was hosted by Andrew Neil.

Both entertaining and informative, the discussion touched upon a number of different areas, including whether the BBC should reduce its print content, whether a ‘liberal’ bias exists and whether the BBC can actually be reformed. At the end of the discussion, the audience was asked whether people wanted radical change or for the status quo to remain. A show of hands suggested that the majority of people were happy with the status quo. You can listen to the full recording of the debate below. The event was in association with Brewin Dolphin.

https://soundcloud.com/spectator1828/is-the-bbc-really-a-national-treasure

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