The BBC will never be truly impartial – so why do we expect it to be?

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Has the time come for the BBC to eschew all ties with the government and step into the broadcasting marketplace? (PA)

To play devil’s advocate for a moment – it can be argued that the BBC will never be truly impartial while it receives government funding.

Has the time come for the BBC to eschew all ties with the government and step into the broadcasting marketplace to compete with the other major players? That would mean advertising (I hear you all groan), but at the moment because the BBC is beholden to the government through (greatly reduced) direct funding and to the general public via a fixed TV licence fee, its channels – aside from the occasional period drama and  David Attenborough’s offerings – are now populated by low budget reality shows, game shows, and endless repeats.

I would like to see the BBC honed down to it becoming the go-to news feed for the nation and leave the entertainment to the other major networks who (with ever-increasing frequency these days) do a better job in that department!