A new poll has revealed that more than half of Brits want the BBC licence fee to be abolished.
Data collected from 2,005 adults across the country also found that the majority of people (79 per cent) believe the corporation should pay for over-75s licences.
It comes amidst debate over the future of the fee, with David Dimbleby launching a savage attack on ‘lying’ Boris Johnson’s ‘pernicious’ attempt to curb it.
Last Sunday the Prime Minister threatened to scrap the television licence fee and turn it into a subscription service.
Data collected from 2,005 adults revealed that more than half of Brits want the BBC licence fee abolished and 79 per cent believe the corporation should pay for over-75s (file picture)
Now new data from ComRes survey for the Sunday Express has revealed what people around the country think about the licence fee.
The results showed that 63 per cent of people think the BBC is an ‘important part of British culture’ but 50 per cent do not think it gives values for money.
Commenting on the poll, a BBC spokesperson said it didn’t appear to have explained that scrapping the fee would mean losing services.
They added: ‘The reality is that the BBC represents very good value for money.’
Last Sunday Downing Street signalled a new onslaught on the BBC – with a threat to scrap the television licence fee and turn it into a subscription service.
A senior source said the broadcaster could be forced to sell off most of its radio stations in a ‘massive pruning back’ of its activities.
The results showed that 63 per cent of people think the BBC is an ‘important part of British culture’ but 50 per cent do not think it gives values for money (file picture)
The source told The Sunday Times that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ‘really strident’ on the need for serious reform.
They said there would be a consultation on replacing the licence fee with a subscription model, adding: ‘We will whack it.’
The paper said that the number of BBC television channels could also be reduced, the website scaled back and stars banned from cashing in on well-paid second jobs.
However Mr Johnson soon faced a backlash from MPs, with one even calling for a referendum on whether to scrap the licence fee.
Senior BBC figures also encouraged people to sign a petition demanding the PM stops trying to ‘undermine’ the broadcaster.
And Tory backbenchers appealed for Mr Johnson not to ‘pick a fight’ with the corporation, saying it still plays a key role in national life.
Last Sunday the Prime Minister (pictured) threatened to scrap the television licence fee and turn it into a subscription service
Meanwhile, Conservative ex-minister Robert Halfon raised the prospect of a referendum on the future of the BBC, saying licence fee payers should be given ‘control’ of its fate.
While on Friday David Dimbleby launched a savage attack on ‘lying’ Mr Johnson’s ‘pernicious’ attempt to curb the BBC licence fee.
The veteran broadcaster accused the Prime Minister of using the issue to undermine the corporation and avoid having his policies scrutinised.
He said Mr Johnson ‘doesn’t give a damn’ about fairness because his landslide election victory had made him ‘arrogant with power’.
His conduct towards the BBC was ‘childish, peevish and unpleasant’, he added during an interview for Germany’s ARD TV channel.
David Dimbleby launched an attack on ‘lying’ Mr Johnson’s ‘pernicious’ attempt to curb the BBC licence fee, accusing him of using the issue to undermine the corporation and avoid having his policies scrutinised
Dimbleby, 82, said the PM was ‘apeing Donald Trump’ by using the same ‘political rulebook’ to try to control the media.
And he took a fierce sideswipe at Mr Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings, seen as the driving force behind Downing St threats to cut the licence fee – or scrap it altogether.
‘Johnson’s never governed anything, Cummings has never governed anything,’ said the former Question Time host.
‘They’re ignorant…floundering. I don’t think they have a strategy.’
His comments were disclosed after Downing Street mooted a radical overhaul that could mean introducing a subscription model, forcing the sale of most BBC radio stations, cutting the number of TV stations and reducing the amount of online content.