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Last weekend, John Cleese was adamant that after the BBC’s “censorship” scandals involving Gary Lineker and David Attenborough, the entire board of members at the BBC should be “replaced”, in the interest of producing quality television. He has now followed up to say he’s in no doubt that the channel is needed – but just not in its current format.
Tweeting on Wednesday afternoon to his 5.7 million devoted followers, John insisted: “Although important areas of the BBC are a shambles – according [to] the people I know who work there – there is absolutely no doubt that we need a BBC in the UK.”
He then added: “We just don’t need this BBC.”
His comments come after John sensationally revealed that his Fawlty Towers reboot show could never have aired on the channel, as he felt his freedom of expression would have been compromised.
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John has even claimed that the BBC is a “pale shadow” of its former self, and that its glory days were back in the 1960s and 70s.
Some fans replied to suggest that the licence fee should be removed or made optional after there was growing discontent over the alleged “censorship” of famous personalities.
“Make it subscription only to placate everyone,” suggested @stubarney.
@JamesAThurber shot back: “The shameful truth is if they made the license fee truly optional (yeah I know it is) there wouldn’t be much of a take up.
“There are many communities in the UK whose needs, beliefs and values are completely unrepresented at the BBC.”
@ori_pomerantz chimed in: “That is the problem with tax funded entities. They are ultimately controlled by the government… can you have a private BBC, maybe funded by donations?”
However, @ChrisJamInglis defended: “I thought the BBC’s coverage of Garygate was completely fair and neutral.
“The Beeb is clearly a long way from perfect, but I’ll bet there’s no other broadcaster would come out as openly as this.”
John had recently spoken on GB News about the personality change he felt the channel had experienced in recent years.
Insisting he’d never bring the Fawlty Towers remake back to the channel, he exclaimed: “I wouldn’t get the freedom [now].
“I was terribly lucky… working for the BBC in the late 60s, 70s and the beginning of the 80s.
“That was the best time because the BBC was run by people with real personality who loved the medium!”
Last weekend, he also ranted on Twitter: “Throw the BBC board out. Replace them with people who want the BBC to make the best possible programmes for the British public.”
He made the comments in reply to another tweeter, @LouisHenwood, who’d summed up the current debates by writing: “Gary Lineker forced to step down by #BBC board for criticism of the government’s incendiary language.
“#DavidAttenborough episode taken off live broadcast for criticism of environmental policy. This isn’t about impartiality. It is government censorship of progressive voices.”
Gary Lineker will return to the BBC after being briefly suspended from Match of the Day for describing the government’s new asylum policy as “immeasurably cruel”.
It was suggested that he had breached impartiality guidelines to which the channel’s presenters are expected to adhere, after he also suggested that the language was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.
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