Author Description

As the centenary of the BBC approaches in October 2022, there will be much sturm und drang not least from the BBC itself. Like measles it will be all over the radio and television schedules. The storm clouds gathering over new Broadcasting House have got darker. The attacks on the Corporation grow from all sides day by day. One of our great British cultural inventions maybe in existential danger. It needs an ‘NHS moment; the Johnson government bears it ill. The question is will the BBC survive? Will the new Director General, Tim Davie, be able to save the Corporation? This book attempts to answer these and other questions about the BBC at 100 from a wide range of perspectives. It doesn’t duck the serious scandals that have engulfed the BBC, not least the Dianagate affair and the treatment of Cliff Richard, but it also looks at the strengths and other weaknesses of the BBC today. The contributions are from distinguished academics, journalists and political commentators and the editor is John Mair. They are: Leighton Andrews, Robin Aitkin, Patrick Barwise, Dorothy Byrne, Bernard Clark, Steve Clarke, Paul Connew, Fiona Chesterton, Mark Damazer, David Elstein, Ivor Gaber, Liz Gerard, David Lancaster, Liam McCarthy, Julian Petley, Marcus Ryder, Sir Anthony Seldon, Caroline Thomson, Brian Winston and Peter York.