Former editor of the Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore revealed why he believes the BBC’s funding model is outdated. The Margaret Thatcher biographer was guest editing Radio 4’s Today show and included a debate over the broadcaster’s controversial licence fee. A survey of 1,000 people taken just before Christmas by the opinion research company, Public First, suggested that there is not much support for the licence fee in the public. 74 percent of people agreed that the BBC licence fee should be abolished, and it was highest amongst the youngest of the group.

Mr Moore told the Today show: “This metaphor about talking to yourself is very important.

“The BBC sets itself up as objective and having high standards.

“We are getting preached at by the BBC every day.

“We get preached at about climate change, we get preached at about diversity and we also get preached at about things we’re supposed to disapprove of.”

He continued: “The idea of national independence, for example, which was the key idea behind the Brexit vote has been constantly disparaged, and tended to be discussed as if it were racist.

“So I think it’s very clear what we’re supposed to think.

“The BBC sees itself like a sort of church, and like the Church of England in the 19th century, I think the Church of the BBC has some good aspects, some high standards in some respects and some benefit to the culture.

“But I do think it should be disestablished.”

At the moment, failure to pay the BBC television licence is a criminal offence which results in a penalty of up to £1000, and you can even end up in jail.

The BBC has come under fire many times, especially in recent years, for perceived bias against various political parties.

As a public service broadcaster, the BBC are “committed to achieving due impartiality in all output”.

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The fee for a colour TV licence is currently £154.50 a year. It will rise in line with inflation until 2022.

Ministers have agreed the licence fee will stay in place until at least 2027, when the BBC’s Royal Charter ends.

Licence fee income was worth £3.6bn to the BBC in 2018-9. This accounts for approximately 75 percent of the broadcaster’s revenues and funding TV, radio and online content.

The Government and the BBC are currently involved in a dispute over the funding of free TV licences for the over-75s.

A BBC spokesperson said: “As we’ve said before, the licence fee ensures a universal BBC which serves everyone, is the most popular funding system among the public and is agreed as the method of funding the BBC for another 8 years.”

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