The BBC are “misguided” if they are looking to show support for Meghan Markle by shelling out for US TV series Suits, according to Michael Cole.
The broadcaster’s former royal correspondent joined Martin Daubney on GB News to hit out at their pricey investment which he believes is helping to “create a false market”.
It has been claimed the company is looking to show support for the controversial Duchess of Sussex by splashing out for Suits, and Cole believes the Beeb is adopting the wrong approach if this is the case.
“If they did [invest to show support for Meghan Markle], they were very misguided”, he said.
Michael Cole hit out at the BBC
GETTY / GB NEWS
“Her approval ratings have tanked in the UK and the US for good reasons which we don’t need to go over now.”
Cole hit out at the broadcaster’s decision to buy the series, telling Martin Daubney they have created a “false market” by investing in non-original content that many people have already seen.
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“Instead of it being commercially decided, it’s decided by someone with a very privileged position”, he said.
“It’s got money it doesn’t earn that’s coming in guaranteed by a dwindling number of licence fee payers.
“People aren’t paying it anymore because they are going elsewhere without the sanction of court action that has had to stop after a great deal of controversy.
“The BBC has to be acting more responsibly. It doesn’t add anything to the BBC’s offer to the world to have Suits, which has already been seen.
Meghan Markle was in Suits for seven seasonsGetty“It should be left to the commercial stations to let them do what they do well and let the BBC do what they tried to set out to do. Educate, inform and entertain.”
Cole is not the only person to have heavily criticised the BBC’s latest venture with ITV boss Kevin Lygo also hitting out at the broadcaster.
He says the BBC cannot keep “bleating” about cost-cutting when it is spending heavily on American programmes.
ITV complained to Ofcom last year that the BBC had dramatically increased its spending on US-made acquisitions, despite talking up financial pressures.
Michael Cole joined Martin Daubney on GB News
GB NEWS
The BBC announced its purchase of Suits last month and plans to show it last year.
The series is several years old and many have already watched it in full, and it is currently available on Netflix.
The show made Meghan Markle a household name as she took on the role of paralegal Rachel Zane for seven series.
She quit the show after meeting Prince Harry.
Announcing its acquisition, the BBC called Suits “smart and stylish” and “star-studded”.
It plans to broadcast the show on iPlayer and one of its terrestrial channels.
A BBC spokesman said: “Our spend on acquisitions remains very small when compared to our overall budget, where we are the largest producer of originated programmes in the UK.
“We spend less than five per cent of our annual content budget on acquired programmes, far less compared with other broadcasters.”