Read this: #35B - Armando Iannucci's MacTaggart Lecture

Hello and welcome to this bonus edition of the media podcast.

I'm Olly Murs today we present in full Armando Iannucci mactaggart lecture from this year's guardian, Edinburgh International television festival Pier we talked about it a bit last week, but here it is the whole thing for you to enjoy.

Thank you.

Thank you training.

Thank you.

Everyone staring nervously out at you all my future sitting in front of me and slightly Nuremberg Ian backdrop behind me I took all that red Nuremberg Ed my mind goes back 15 years.

Can I was last suit into a BBC brainstorming session on the Arts and I spend the day in a brightly painted room at the mercy of a team of professional are brainstormers experts paid to be spontaneously positive.

They had degrees and being upbeat and had trained with the sum of the world's most optimistic people to let your hair down says it's all about having fun with want to have fun and then she looks straight at us, if you're not prepared to have fun get out.

No I got out and I resolved that the last thing I would ever do is trap a group of talented people in a colourful room and subject them to one-sided opinion masquerading as open debate.

Until now so if you're not prepared to hear why I think politicians have got the British television industry completely wrong because they appear at it for a filter of the own prejudices and that's a fact then get out now to those staying can I stop I say what an honour it is to be asked to give this James mactaggart memorial lecture tonight and in this its 40th year.

I looking back to 1976 we can see her father TV landscape has changed then the big Classics were Thunderbirds David Attenborough and Poldark so let's congratulate ourselves on how far we've come.

We were told television Would by no have changed utterly we were told that by people paid to know.

Beside viewing with the climb and be replaced by mobile and laptop alternatives and indeed rash new entities such as Amazon and Netflix have emerged bringing streaming digital pictures at a telecommunicating sequence of Visual data or television if you will which tomatoes in dynamic new forms of storytelling such as the one-hour drama and provide us with revolutionary new stories such as House of Cards I suppose what is really tells us is that the Eternal verities evening television which time will never change we may alter and innovate how we watch from set to laptop to tablet and yes unbelievably to a Watch but we still crave the same things basically.

costumes and cakes

but but went the X Factor Tour does wait our attention span will diminish, I will pop from 3 minute clip 2 second vine to nanosecond Black tiny tiny singularities of entertainment and spell the death of Longthorne viewing instead.

We binge watch Four Seasons worth of quality box sets in weekend sitting through what is effectively a 48-hour television programme where are children go hungry and whole so much for experts.

The guess is as good as yours but more expensive.

They proclaim the death of the book but did so in best-selling books economic experts failed to predict the banking crisis, but still cash the checks we are in my ex, but said they would be a hung Parliament I know they carry on like we still think they're credible.

I'll be with that's what they're calling is telling them the truth is nobody knows anything and that's because we are all individually full of contradictions were all and knowingly deliciously unknowable beyond algorithmic reach for now in fact the recent General Election provides perfect matrix, or confused contradictory information.

It was the election in which the public punished the Lib Dems for not stopping the Tories and did so by voting in the Tories it was the election in which the party advocating the living wage.

Decisively lost to a party no advocating the living wage.

It was the one in which Nicola Sturgeon became the most popular hated politician in Britain and his climax with the leader of UKIP resigning and then rapidly on resigning in a new form of statecraft, which I can only describe as bungee politics this place is a mess.

We are a mess.

We don't know what we want so trying to be specific and prescriptive in this unknowable landscape is a fools errand.

It would be a fool indeed who would try to quantify precisely what they are broadcasters should do he or she would be really mad he tried to define the purposes and Scope of certain TV channels, are they still have the database a some sort of panel of experts and I'm mad mad system that with auntie.

Expert findings and in trying them in law odia.

I told this lecture We're All In This Together and I hope George Osborne the prime minister Regent doesn't mind doesn't mind my borrowing his useful phrase for these times that over the years many political phrases.

I've caught my eye.

I remember particularly in 2010 noticing the orwellian contortions language has gone through to arrive at the Tory campaign slogan vote for change vote conservative, but believe me saying tonight We're All In This Together I'm not being ironic playful.

Maybe but deadly serious British television needs to be at its strongest.

With a big global fighter head we need to consolidate all our Talent and expertise broadcast and production have grown ever more discreet and separate apps rather wary of each other.

I know politicians have exacerbated that division ministers have come to see broadcast those are the executive branch of television as the only group to top 2 marginalizing the creative community that drives production which I believe is actually the core strength of British television if we don't do something to redress the balance to allow the voice of the creative and production community and TV to be heard loud and clear the politicians will become our Masters rather than Partners and supporters acting as if they alone are the experts.

It will be a distracting interference and ultimately harmful to British television last night the most of the jokes and exactly halfway through the speech as a form of halftime entertainment.

This is absolutely true and detailed battle sequence so on we go first off that global fight I mentioned it really is once entered an extraordinary piece of change what seems like the White Heat of technology one day can the very next feel as old and as outdated as the phrase White Heat of technology companies Too Big to Fail Netscape once looked invincible until it went the way of computer and I bet they're out of all the members of the audience here tonight to remember Microsoft

No, my first experience of how quickly the Generations adapt the viewing habits was 18 years ago when I took my son who was about 3 to the cinema for the first time and we went to see a long and execrable film called flubber and as we can I asked him what he thought he said it was good.

It was like a big video you can only see once.

And from that from that focus group of one I determined to things mostly children are acutely aware of the limitations of the viewing environment but secondly it doesn't seem to spoil their enjoyment of what they're watching as long as the content is good.

They will put up with much.

This is good news for those of us who make quality programs people will hunt them out by any means possible and on whichever device is available on Amazon and Netflix aid on YouTube pouring money into generating new content.

That's the good news for the creative industry.

Everyone wants to make television the bad news is everyone wants to meet television cheaper user-friendly technology means we're living in the golden age of TV and a global bucket of shrill.

For every Sherlock and Breaking Bad does a billion more people filming their brother Squirtle baked beans from his nose and anus salt in this cacophony.

It's more important than ever that we have strong popular channels highly respected for their quality the actors Beacons drawing audiences to the best content available providing a confident hole for the best programme makers face with a global audience now British television needs its champion supporters, it needs its cheerleaders.

Who will they be the government?

North Pole be consistently top of raining in our greatest network the broadcasters not well most of their energies are dissipated fighting off political attacks on their impartiality or finances no friends in Whitehall would argue that as the BBC's charter comes up for renewal.

It's important to see how the corporation can operate even more effectively back but starting a debate on how the BBC should be funded.

Just days after whopping 20% office budget without discussion since pretty much to me like shutting the stable door after the horse has been bought that but never mind let's assume the horse is still alive and Revival is a real possibility even though for obvious reasons rolfs animal hospital has been incinerator.

So, I'm going to do some cheerleading of my own.

I'm not an expert.

I don't run a network.

I've never consciously multi-platform.

I work with Channel 4 Sky Atlantic and HBO but I started with the BBC I've always had a relationship with it and I feel I owe it my professional life know that life we began as a listener hooked on brilliant comedy shows on Radio 4 like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Saturday night fry Stephen Fry tremendously idiosyncratic comedies that I thought were magic.

I knew then that making shows like that was the only thing I wanted to do I actually started my professional career as the world's on coolest music presenter on Radio Scotland but given generous encouragements and became a comedy producer for BBC radio at Broadcasting House the very epicenter of the radio show.

That had inspired me so imagine how I felt when my first letter from a listener arrived.

It was a complaint and it ended with the words and she sort of a name is that for someone who works for the so-called British Broadcasting Corporation I pinned it to the front door on my office blooded.

I was quickly on the first rung of the ladder of BBC management becoming the early departments script editor.

I lasted 2 months not because of a scandal but because I couldn't take myself seriously in a tie eventually and this is absolutely true when the then Bishop of Oxford objected to a midnight joke about the crucifixion on Radio 1 and I was told to apologise I felt it was time to move on not for me managing the BBC's torturous relationship.

With the establishment I decided life was too short to deal with Bishop Prix I'll take that as a Coopers of water management and expecting champagne dentist what a champagne management wasn't my style but neither was business when I went the one thing I knew I didn't want to do with set up my own company now wants to make comedy not make people redundant because we weren't making enough comedy occasionally as I watch Friends and colleagues become channel controllers and multi millionaires.

I ask myself if I did the right thing but I always answer.

Yes in that time.

I've seen channel controllers go Fortunes last budget slashed and produces punched.

I've also watched TV executives perform an airy kaleidoscope in front of me as the risen to the top of one thing and then another there's about 20 of them whose names are grown used to hearing all the years had never actually encountered, but whom I assume.

I'm very very good.

Give me only need a couple of years to do their job before moving on to the next one.

We must be there must be essential components of the TV industry after all each new initiative each new reform or enquiry into how British television conduct itself throws up one of these individuals onto its committee as regularly as the dawn no actually I'm being unfair to the executive suite in the creative sector C2 often as the enemy and not as Partners in the business of getting our show was made to be unfair or myself.

I am an expert on what I do as is anyone good at Lighting Design producing first a d in script editing presenting directing producing any of the 101 professions that appear on the cast and crew list at the start of each production our program a big part of our heritage the other primary economic component of our success when the community Media communications and information industries make

Nearly 8% of our GDP larger than the car and Oil and Gas Industries put together we need to be heard as there was Industries are hurt when somebody other countries Cumbria to work without Cruise when somebody of actors of pinched for projects overseas.

We need to be hard with internationally or writing and acting and directing and special effects.

I've been recognised when are formats and ideas have been sold and reworked worldwide as never before when is culture minister, Ed vaizey recently pointed out Britain is ranked the number one soft part in the world measured Bridge global influence through its culture media and education when I create a community is really been heard abroad surely.

We need to be heard at home.

But when I see the panel of experts Who been asked by the culture secretary to take a root and branch.

Look at the BBC and don't see anyone who is a part of that cast and crew list.

I see executives Media orders industry gurus Talent people but on a single person who's made a classic and enduring television show not the presenter a writer director or creative producer normal futur Wainwright on Melville or Mercurial not I see anyone from a world class post production industry from design or drama.

No one from the Enormous world beating service of day-to-day production to give their views to offload their expertise on the difficulties and the joys and the challenges of making world standard Public Service Broadcasting just people from executive branch of television.

A car company was looking to what car should make next but only spoke to the managers and not to any of the engineers or drivers you cannot have a meaningful root and branch review of television if you're only going to deal with one branch.

Not I wonder if this why do politicians top top 2 as creators.

Is it because we don't wear a timer where is because we deal with intangible stuff made up stories on quantifiable and unpredictable entertainments that makers interesting but not really serious the sort of person.

It's good to be photographed chatting to as a thank-you reception for the Arts rather than properly engaging with had a boardroom meeting to see how a crucial segments of the Arts should be wrong.

Maybe that's why executive staff and officers and budgets and ties get invited onto committees every year while creatives are brussel on for canapes every five.

Talk to us no one comes into contact with regularly with the hard economics of making a budget work than a production team.

Everytime I made the show I am a small businessman responsible for hundreds of employees in charge of a budget of millions of pounds and of course if the project isn't successful the work would come back in America the key production personnel the right as the first aid a senior researchers accredited as producers.

There are rewarded for their key creative input on my HBO show vape which was shot in Baltimore we had a set visit from the state governor who came to thank as for the work.

We were bringing to Maryland true essential role in the business of making good television was acknowledged.

I mentioned earlier viewers if Britain is at the top of its game in TV creativity.

I think it's because we have the best audience in the world think the British Public Yarns for good stories stimulating argument and original ideas it knows bullshit when it sees it soon tyres the same old same old and hungers for something you all the time it makes the difficult and takes it takes the difficult the idiosyncratic and it makes it popular.

That's why we intellivision should feel lucky to be born in this country, but have come here to work.

I love it that we think nothing of the fact that are sure about baking is a key part of our Prime Time viewing or shows about antiques or family trees are polar bears we don't appreciate.

It is not preferred one cop show after another that's what I remember from watching television when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s The Range in front of me.

I could watch smart comedy like Monty Python and not the 9:00 news, but also had brucie's Generation Game Morecambe and Wise and all went to tell me what you want type of show was for me and not the other I loved it that I could lie from Fawlty Towers to a horizon documentary on voyages trip passata for a comedy and a space geek that was satisfying even if it seems a little embarrassingly sad talking about it now.

But what I take from then is that British television said this everything whole world of knowledge and creativity is on offer is for you or love you no matter what your background.

You are all equally welcome to the most varied content the world's best programme makers to deliver.

Yes, there were limits on the number of channels and and as we didn't feel a limit on ideas and ambition.

And that pride in what we made has stayed with me.

All.

I can do if I want to be any part of that tradition and make sure is make sure that I make the best shows I possibly can.

I treat my audience with respect and Intelligence so recently it's been the biggest source of Pride to me that vape show me primarily for an American audience this show was very much a British production.

It was written in the UK who was edited here scored here first produced here using British directors our editors were awarded by the American pie with the Ace Award for best edited half-hour of US television are right has won the writer's guild of America award received Emmy nominations across all departments this comes as no surprise to me.

There's no magic secret and it's selling of my doing I simply Trust British talent as I've been trusted I believe we are the best in the world, but what we do.

And I'm prepared to act on that basis, but actually my biggest surprise about working for HBO was it seemed very familiar.

It's quite a small type where I only had to deal with one sometimes two executives be placed the creative voice front and centre of what they did not very intelligent and offered suggestions only if very rarely.

I said no, I don't feel that will work they came back with good grace and say literally Amanda it's your show.

You decide what's best.

This is the secret formula.

But here's the thing that's exactly how the BBC work some 15 years ago the best us shows on modelling themselves, what used to make British television so world beating to have a broadcast I have faith in you and leave you to get on with it was the very essence of British television not just under the public service remit but in the commercial field as well ITV and then Channel 4 and no Sky channels that I've hoovered up not just the BBC's executives to run their own channels, but it's template quality because quality brings audiences.

Look for that Faith brings rewards now all across our domestic output from BBC1 to Sky Atlantic happy Valley the tunnel Broadchurch the full line of duty.

She was the place trust in the creative process and in the viewer.

UK television is copying the US formula there was copied from UK television us primetime schedule deleted those quick format from the UK Who Do You Think You Are Sunday variants on Strictly Come Dancing as well as the single camera on audience sitcom which we brought into the mainstream first we have changed international viewing for the better.

I think sometimes our political partners forget this.

Here's one instance George Osborne recently said in an interview that there should be more TV dramas that have extended run.

So we're not left behind an increasing habit of people watching us box sets.

What he feels to realise is that the best of those us dramas have been there have been the ones of taking a leaf out of the British PlayBook limiting their runs to 13 episodes instead of 22 which shows like Game of Thrones and true Detective on time.

It's the refusal to dilute quality for quantity that is made me seriously good and by the way not so long that viewing them and one binge is totally unrealistic so no let's be more assertive the international market flatters us with imitation now is the time to strike out not settle down if the licence fees under strain then let supplement it not covered up by pushing ourselves more commercially abroad use the BBC's name one of them was recognised brands in the world and use the reputation of British television across all networks to capitalise financially overseas be more aggressive in selling our shows through advertising through proper international subscription channels Freesat BBC worldwide to be fully commercial whatever it takes frankly let's not be itchy and modest about making money.

Let's monetize their Jesus Mary and Joseph out of our programs abroad.

Southern money can come back take some pressure off the licence fee at home and be invested in even more ambitious quality shows that only had to have value protect protect Public Service Broadcasting at home by displaying the arrogance of our convictions abroad.

instead would we get

Dawn

an eerie silence actors in Central London

Then tanks and troops moving to Broadcasting House the instructions close down the BBC a cyber Attack of literates its websites for all local radio stations in DJs are evacuated and popped in London the army handcuffs Lord hall and escort them off to a museum by known live atrocities can be seen taking place behind Fiona Bruce Salford takes a little longer to subjects for army squadrons land in Manchester and then have to take a shuttle bus in Glasgow in Glasgow Nick Robinson is tied up and Fire by Canon in to BBC Scotland it only takes a few minutes to tweet his whereabouts to open the doors and locals do their worst rewire in London ruthlessly remorselessly a loan masked figure move through the BBC's confusing corridors, Killing of the presenters one-by-one Dimbleby is done.

Norton eviscerated Mary berrys cut through like one of her delicious sponges meanwhile, Simon Schama is history all that's left to defend the back of corporation is one man Professor Brian Cox the masked destroy Argos for him and it's quickly apparent that Brian Cox may be clever and good looking as we've long suspected is rubbish in hand-to-hand combat Cox fleas to the canteen area hoping to Barricades himself in it's no use the automatically opening safety doors are no obstacle to the Hooded assassin who stepped through and destroys Cox with a single punch to his beautiful clever face and Wycombe all hope of the BBC remaining in its present form the assailant stands in the canteen and removes his mask there revealed is Jeremy Clarkson

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Come to learn more if you work in law Healthcare finance and rely on facts to send and receive documents securely then, please hold if not here's a little treat great.

Now for the factors affect let you unplug your fax machine go paperless and take your faxing to the cloud with the same levels of security or used to go to eat vax.co.uk to find out more effects for the factors.

I exaggerate of course for comic effect if you are laughing at this entirely fictitious conspiracy theory, then you must recognise something that Rings true because we do do we not feel under attack for an older zano buying into a networks.

When we should be beating the world with our shows so where are cheerleaders?

A Public Service Broadcasting one of the best things with ever done creatively as a country if it was a car industry Minister's would be out champion.

It always he's trying to win contracts busting of the British jobs that would bring.

If the BBC world weapon system have the cabinet would be on a plane to Saudi Arabia to tell them how brilliant it was and yet, it's quite the reverse.

They took of cutting down to size of raining in imperialist ambitions hiding or limiting the scope and he do it with all the manically of a doctor ever so reasonably urging his patient to consider the benefits of assisted suicide at its mild this this stock is a background in the form of government ministers telling her.

What shows these think we should be making as if they were televisions chief commissioners of programmes for example the culture secretary whittingdale recently an interview that caught arguably.

I keep David Attenborough I'm not sure how practical that last which is given the natural life cycle of the human presenter unless we.

How to preserve in like the Russians do Lennon but then there was ministry of confusion on the subject of Strictly Come Dancing was one called it fantastic on the 5th of July only to clash with whittingdale who called The Show debatable on the 14th of July but then under pressure from his Chancellor swivelled calling admirable by the 19th and I'm shuffle back ever so slightly to absolutely appropriate this lunchtime Michelle the point is evening just one programme it's very difficult to get a clear idea of what they're really thinking.

It's just like dealing with actual TV commissioners, but but commissioners indirect control of the Treasury what worries me is there a politician star intend to act on their extremely subjective opinions and be there increasingly Falling Into the Trap of thinking that because they've won a parliamentary majority.

They know how a majority of the public thinks.

It's a dangerous path in itself a creeping imperial ambition that does international harm to our stock variety and Hollywood reporter no daily feature stories of our television service powering down BBC for becoming a shadow of what it was BBC3 destined for online posts about redundancy acceptance of Cats Channel 4 tied with over privatisation.

Don't say we're not fully answered at lunchtime today to question.

I've been repeatedly asked by the US TV industry.

What the hell are you guys thinking today that looks like we're going mad.

This is top surveying something that could otherwise make more money internationally simply, put it's bad capitalism as I said at the start of this talk.

I collect political phrases and the one I return to again and again is a sentence from Tony Blair in 2004 one year on from the invasion of Iraq and in Defence of his decision to invade.

He said do I know I'm right.

Judgements aren't the same as facts Instinct is not a science.

I only know what I believe.

Now that computing phrase.

I only know what I believe is a stunning Reversal of about two-and-a-half Thousand Years of rational enquiry is normally normally we believe what we know normally we seek evidence informed conclusions on the basis of what we find instead player turns belief self-belief at that into an absolute effect and knowledge to something a lot more qualified and imperfect.

So we have to ask of any political decision, is it being made under the I only know what I believe.

Is it been made because the hunch that feeling is considered more definitive any evidence obtained that the political opinion is more valid will become truth and is already become law prior to actual investigation.

I'm proper enquiry today doesn't explain the one-sided nature of the appointments to the panel of experts looking at BBC the extremely manufactured setup? Against public sector Broadcasting

IC manufacturer because I really can't hear from the general public a groundswell of opposition to the BBC's outrageous Saturday night schedule in there are no online petitions to shut down the BBC's online cake recipes or public Daniels too close.

It's apparently left wing news and your service by the way that has higher levels of trust in it than in any newspaper.

We seem to be in some artificially concocted zone of outreach that emerged fully formed around the time of the election as strangely choreographed set of editorials and columns and private briefings these opinions have taken on a momentum of their own that they acquire mass the appear almost like solid fact or at least enough like it even or Dare BBC News service is obliged to report them taking us to the exquisite irony that we start to believe the BBC is not to be trusted because we had it on the BBC where does it come from this spooky for us bending the ear of Chancellors ministers and civil servants and asking them to call the BBC let's for the sake of argument coldest 4SN for mysterious.

What does MCM says the BBC's doing too much across too many Media outlets? It's a broadcaster, so shouldn't have a web presence so dominant crowds out competition.

And you look at the times we live in.

What one's separate forms of communication or separate Media increasingly interconnected and exchangeable so we no longer have a TV market and newspaper market a publishing market we have indisputably an old Media market.

I didn't write those last few sentences.

She was word update in his 2009 mactaggart lecture we no longer.

Have a TV market a newspaper market a publishing market we have indisputably and all media market.

This is so true newspapers now pardoned vodcast radio goes interactive even cinemas and theatres been in live networked events Freddie cultural or news organisation to survive it has to adapt across all platforms.

So why does m criticise the BBC for wanting to do so and for doing it well?

We make sense of the BBC's web presence was pointless and amateurish is in the top 100 websites in the world currently around 60 as I think I'm the only British ordered one on that list it makes no economic or cultural sense to tell this country's best online media presence one that says the public freely that projector cultural impact globally to make itself a little bit worse.

Which is the which is off to be at the top table Grinstead we've been told to break a table up for firewood.

Capitalism is pursuit where it helps the BBC's competitors and a most peculiar form of lowest state control is advocated when it doesn't.

Facebook and Google came along and 88 up all of newspapers classified ads just the BBC Pro no ads that gets the blame is Google and Facebook to get the helpful tax arrangements from HMRC

will the root and branch investigating be looking at this rather twisted looking route, but I am this mysterious Force arguing for change one stop

The cognitive dissonance in him, it's no it's program making with it says a perfectly reasonable proposition.

Don't spend licence money for showing ratings grabbing projects that the commercial sector could just as easily do can you instead be a little less populist but how do you predict the popularity of a program?

Maybe a panel Whitehall experts will be set up to hear each program idea in advance and determine whether it sounds like it'll be a hater.

Play some perverse imitation of the successful talent shows that same panel current being asked to restrict.

Who is the ministry of Culture where to find a way to predict the future? I suggested doesn't fit all It's Time on TV shows no programs like the Great British Bake Off and who do you think you are Australia shows that started off niche and became popular Gavin and Stacey start on BBC Three the office was under obscurely schedule slot on BBC2 BBC4 begin with no one knew these shows were going to be so popular.

They are allowed to grow in the public consciousness get lodged into the mainstream and away we simply couldn't do know if the BBC was created me restricted as is being suggested popular and niche are points on a continuous and evolving Spectre to cut this valuable resource up.

It's the damage all parts fit how is that productive?

The M4 mysterious is nothing if not resilient.

It Focuses its dissonant noise ever more tightly inter-domain well targeted human thought itself.

It asks.

Is it not reasonable that we look to see if the BBC is too left wing.

The culture secretary today says it's not coming from him.

Why does this question hang so heavily in the Aether like a thick Edinburgh haar?

full Disclosure

a product of the BBC stand before you as a guardian reader

I also do so as a telegraph reader when I first jobs was producing the news quiz on Radio 4 and scanning every newspaper every day for weeks on end.

Make me instantly aware that no one newspaper told the whole story because I peered at the page the mole holes.

I look through to become a habit to get the garden and Telegraph everyday to get something approximating to both sides of the story and our favourite game each morning over breakfast is to compare the photos on the two front pages regarding frequently has something uncompromising a picture of sludge or an abattoir well for the Telegraph was out of its way to feature a photo of a smiling blonde woman in her 20s even if it's under the headline the sister of the man who died.

Text it has to remain impartial impartiality shouldn't be done it has to have to fill Fearless questioning pushing against the establishment view from whatever party hats by Nick Robinson Jeremy Paxman Andrew Neil are so good at what they do but hang on.

It was once chairman of the young Conservatives Paxman has since out of himself as a one nation Tory Landry Neil has had a very close association with Rupert Murdoch after that former chairman like Lords grade and pattern to conservative peers and you have a very convincing case if you want one that was a pretty clear very deliberate right-wing bias in the BBC if you don't see it that way because Robinson Paxman and Neil are professional the whole to the highest professional standards for my money Andrew Neil gets more surprising admissions and squirming Revelations out of politicians on a daily basis than anyone.

Television a long may he do so the question shouldn't be do these people have a political past but what do they do with our knowledge and experience and passion for politics anyone with a passion and understanding of the subject is bound to have engaged with it.

Your ternative is to have a parade of political units on ice cream.

Just read out.

What's put in front of them with no personal connection to the subject as well Siri read the news and just as when I see Michael Portillo present great train journeys of the world.

I don't look out for him making subtle suggestions that the journey would be a lot better the labour privatised so too should we stop assuming that any presenter who has historically come from the political left would be equally biased.

Reviews for privately have left wing views as more prone to bias than those who privately hold right-wing ones is itself a bias and an insult to the professionalism of all.

Received by us and imbalance from her own Prejudice so we can have fun chatting and exaggerated right wing history of the BBC as easily as a left wing one for every boys from the Blackstuff that was a Dallas glorifying capitalism trooping of the Colour and Songs of Praise reasserting the permanence of all the establishment ideals and Bishopbriggs Frimley Frimley drama about homelessness is Antiques Roadshow weekly and literally enforcing the facts right principal or selling off the family silver for every left wing comic does an army of business and economic experts reinforcing the views of the banking community and the market has accepted fact and by God how can a corporation be left wing when it has perpetuated the career of Ann Widdecombe the wisest words I've read and all this come from Toby young who wrote recently in The Spectator price.

Appearing on Question Time what I've often heard conservative complain that the BBC PAX the audience with lefties not true the makers of the programme bend over backwards to try to ensure that the audience contain a broad cross-section of political views by definition of majority of them won't be conservative voters, but that's the country's anti Tory bias.

Not the BBC's and of course that is the point the BBC is funded by and speaks to the country.

The country is not the government pay for the BBC and watch it then vote for anyone political party politicians convinced that because they are in government their views and values are the majority opinion of the day are slaves to an illusion.

I'm sorry to go on about this, but I think this takes us to the fundamental problem the problem of I only know what I believe which is now putting pressure on Public Service Broadcasting to conform to the political norms of the party in power no matter how slim its majority or holo.

It's share of the vote the government has recently warned the BBC to be balanced in its coverage of the EU referendum.

It was a clear cause for this warning the government should pointed out.

If there isn't why the need for a warning.

And how an owl BBC reporters to proceed subconsciously code into a fear that any two probing and analysis of a sensitive point say the economic advantages or disadvantages of immigration might lead to censure or reprimand.

The BBC is a mirror into which Britain gazes everyday it reflects the country sometimes flattering Lee but also truthfully.

It was surely keep asking questions about that country digging around startling annoying.

There is a destructive element to creativity as well as an affirmative one not necessarily political but born from a keen sense of Duty to make Society Communities stronger through analysing it and probing outside its comfort zone.

Meantime politicians should say openly what they believe.

If he distrust the BBC they should say it, they just don't like it.

They should say it.

Not commissioned charts and experts to arrive at that conclusion for them filleting information and statistics down to look like incontrovertible fact.

Didn't want example page 24 of the government's charter review document it's taking up with a massive chart showing how the BBC has expanded from 2 channels in 1984 to 9 in 2014.

I think it's meant to Luke chilling.

what the graph doesn't show is how much every other broadcaster has expanded in that time does it mention early 1994 there were 61 channels available the UK and this has expanded by 2014 to 536 so you could say if you like the BBC has gone from having 3.2% of the channels in 1994 to 1.6% of them today conclusion if you like to get the best value for the licence Peter

the BBC Top 2 have more channels

I could stand it and kick back in back government statistics until the chilcot report comes holi paint the BBC as a bloated monster, but don't show how is dwarfed by its commercial rivals it spend more on the rights to premiership football alone than The Corporation spends all its content but really what's the point numbers will be Parbold into whatever conclusion need switching many of the arguments from the experts in Whitehall turn out to be fictions as imaginative as the ones we in the TV industry get prizes for or as false as the people in leaflets issued by the Department of Work and Pensions so let's stop playing games.

Let's talk properly and honestly about what we value and want to preserve in the BBC in the end it comes down to half personal experience of The Corporation as viewers and listeners.

So here's one of mine.

I meant at the start I was a bit of an astronomy geek so cuz I was disturbingly excited when the new Horizons satellite shot past Pluto a few weeks back.

Discovery did a very good documentary Days Later fast-paced Hi-Tech lots of graphics and photos entertain.

I just thought I was meeting something a little bit more uninterrupted time with the science so happily there was the one our sky at night special the next night.

The show was passionate but patient the emotional pool came through watching the two scientists presenters Chris lintott and Maggie aderin-pocock be present at the new Horizons headquarters in Maryland and react in real time to the data as it came through we watch there enthusiasm and they're relief and I puzzlement at some of the photographs because of their expertise cereal to talk us through so surprising not to see any impact craters on Pluto Pluto why everyone was so amazed shots and mountain ranges bigger than Everest meet of compacted water rice the told us this world would all written off as a cold dead rock at the edge of the solar system was a living active environment overturning the views of all the experts the programme was on rushed.

intelligent and ambitious

I thought a parrot connected to the wonderful Stargazing Live on BBC2 with a schedule 1 hampered by Commercials I cleared yearly for 3 live 90-minute program on space and astronomy of how the expertise of the sky at night team is turned on a mainstream audience brought their through Stargazing Live zone presenters Brian Cox Dara O'Briain

Tom Cox the brain have had careers and audiences nurtured on the BBC through successful documentaries like Wonders of the Solar System and season comedy like Mock the Week on Holly's different audiences are then plugged into an ambitious format that relies on the BBC skill and expertise in live outside broadcasts from around the country add suet ripples out to the work and independent sector all these and similar shows bring to the training it gives researchers and producers who go on to work for other networks are most importantly in this instance to the schools with these shows and online projects such as the BBC's year of science have led to huge jump in choosing Science GCSE and A-levels

That for me is what the BBC is there for connecting connecting highbrow and mainstream knowledge and entertainment.

Continue with the world and it's all country to its culture.

Harlots faults proletkult, it's a pretty good alignment of the planets.

Tampering with it is madness.

The question shouldn't be how do we cut it down to size? But why should we in future the ascending Nations the highest living standards will be those who master or not land a material but ideas and technologies.

Not my work, but the words of Rupert Murdoch in his 1989 mactaggart lecture we should have them that the British have very good at quarry out nonsense so the British Public Fielder been bullshiter that if they get the slightest with what's been done to the BBC as purely political then I urge the relevant ministers to leave the country get for the really don't know what about to hit the fan the anger won't be divided on party lines at once it will swell Fiona guardian readers and Telegraph readers to all in between and beyond who regard the BBC as one of the best fixtures fixtures of British daily life.

So politicians say what you mean.

Broadcasters, are you back don't adopt a position of automatic compromise the maybe in effect can see everything.

I should always in production.

We all the public duty to defend where the by continuing to come up with challenging provocative shows destructive and eccentric sort the world expect from us or bi reporting clause in political logic forensically analysing any witness in argument or by going out there into the wide world and winning the praise and the prizes we deserve to make the point that a significant British industry of global standing is being harmed by Willie thinking thinking that simply isn't good enough and it doesn't meet the quality standards the country expect from this industry.

Jason cherriman, it's been a tremendous honour to be invited to speak to the UK TV industry, but it's an even greater honour to work in it.

Battle Defender thank you very much.

You can do Iannucci delivering the 2015 mactaggart lecture repeated here with the kind permission of the Guardian Edinburgh International television festival thanks for the sessions producing Luke Morrison from Sky Atlantic and Megan McLean out the festivals senior publicist and thanks very much to you for listening.

We got another bonus edition coming up next week in the meantime.

Keep those dedications coming in just go to the media podcast.com / dedicate every donation goes into making our Regular Show until next time.

I'm only man the producer Matt Hill the media podcast is a PPM production potential by definition is the possibility of he

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