Entertainment
Sir Ian McKellen ‘nervous if BBC is being attacked’ as he weighs in on licence fee row
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Sir Ian McKellen has weighed in on the BBC licence fee debate, stressing the importance of keeping it in the public’s hands.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries indicated at groundbreaking plans for an overhaul after stating the next announcement about the fee would ‘be the last’.
The BBC licence fee is an annual payment which is currently set at £159. It normally changes on April 1 each year but it is expected to freeze for two years until April 2024, at which point it’s speculated the fee will be axed.
Speaking to Amol Rajan, Sir Ian opened up about the importance of the BBC licence fee in his eyes, saying: ‘Whatever people think about the policies and activities of this country, the BBC is the calling card.’
While Amol counter-balanced Sir Ian’s claims, arguing that some people believe that the BBC could build a subscription fan base like other companies and ‘that time has caught up with the BBC and the world has moved on,’ Sir Ian maintained the positive benefits of an open BBC on the nation’s culture.
‘The trouble about just getting what you want when you want it is that you only know you want things that you already know,’ he explained.
‘God, they do their best,’ claimed Sir Ian about the BBC (Picture: BBC)
‘How did I know I was going to be interested in undersea plant life until David Attenborough showed it to me, and it was available?
‘It all seems to me positive, positive, positive, so I get nervous if I feel the BBC is being attacked.’
Admitting that even though he’s had his own ‘arguments’ with the BBC, such as when their ‘balanced approach’ included homophobic speakers, Sir Ian still said: ‘God, they do their best.’
The Lord of the Rings star further questioned why those advocating for the BBC to be left in the market’s hands see the licence fee as ‘such a bother’.
Sir Ian has joined other stars advocating to keep the licence fee.
BBC presenter Dan Walker highlighted all the channels available for 43p per day, while actor Hugh Grant argued: ‘The BBC is something the whole world admires with envy.’
More: BBC
Meanwhile Former England football star Gary Linekar titled it ‘the most treasured of national treasures.’
Amol Rajan’s interview with Sir Ian McKellen is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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