Sir Antony Jay rounds on BBC

Sir Antony Jay, co-creator of the peerless political comedy show Yes, Minister, has turned his attentions to the BBC. He believes, apart form BBC1 and Radio 4, the corporation is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money and should be dismantled forthwith.

"The BBC spends over £4bn every year, most of it on undistinguished programmes which are indistinguishable from what is available on competitive unsubsidised channels,” Sir Antony, 78, (right) writes in an essay called 'How to Save the BBC', published by the think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies.

He adds: "It also uses this subsidy to compete unfairly with commercial companies in areas like publishing and the internet. Many people also see it as a propaganda vehicle for the liberal elite whose views and values are at odds with those of most of its audience." (Continued below)

Sir Antony, who is now retured but takes a close interest in his old profession (he was also a highly distinguished TV producer) also singled out lifestyle programming. "And then there are the endless space-filler programmes: cookery, gardening, DIY and so on - if the BBC's were significantly better than anyone else's, they could be justified. But if (as is so often the case) they are just there to fill space and save money, and are virtually indistinguishable from competitors, why bother?"