THE government yesterday faced increasing opposition to its planned overhaul of the BBC as a new campaign to defend the broadcaster was announced.

The “It’s Our BBC” campaign follows reports in The Times that the government is plotting to scrap television licence fees, a move which could force the broadcaster to sell off most of its radio stations.
 
Campaign organiser We Own It warned that the plans would reduce the BBC to “little more than a Fox-style news broadcaster.”

The group will launch the campaign next Monday, March 9, outside Broadcasting House in London with a symbolic game of “whack-a-mole.”

Members of the public dressed as top political advisor Dominic Cummings will be “whacking” beloved BBC programmes, including Planet Earth and Eastenders, with a five-foot mallet.

Mr Cummings is believed to be behind the malign plans for the BBC’s future, and has been a vocal critic of the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of displaying “pro-Remain bias.”

He was also director of a think tank that in 2003 called for the “end of the BBC in its current form” and branded it the “mortal enemy” of the Tories.

We Own It director Cat Hobbs said: “If Dominic Cummings gets his way, we’ll be left with little more than a Fox News-style broadcast media.

“That would be an unmitigated disaster for our media, for our democracy and for our country.

“We know that the BBC isn’t perfect. But the way to solve that isn’t with aggressive grandstanding or with threats to undermine the BBC’s future and reduce its funding.”

New Culture Minister Oliver Dowden criticised the broadcaster, saying that it needed to do more to “reflect the country’s genuine diversity of thought and experience.”

But Labour hit back, accusing the government of attempting to dismantle the BBC under the guise of pushing for needed change.

Shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin said that it was worrying that one of Mr Dowden’s first acts in his new role was to “join Boris Johnson’s crusade against one of our most cherished national institutions.”

She acknowledged the need for the BBC to change in order to “properly represent and reach all of our country, with young people and BAME communities particularly underserved.”