Jeremy Clarkson has called for the BBC licence fee to be scrapped, arguing the broadcaster has lost public trust and should be radically slimmed down following a series of scandals and editorial controversies.
Writing in his latest Sunday Times column, the former Top Gear presenter said the BBC’s decline had left him feeling “just a tiny bit smug”, admitting that while he was once seen as the "ultimate bad boy", which led to his axing from the broadcaster, subsequent revelations had put his own controversies into perspective.
However, he contrasted his past reprimands with what he described as far more serious failures that have since engulfed the corporation, listing disgraced figures including Jimmy Savile, Stuart Hall and Huw Edwards.
“It turns out that I was actually nothing more than a naughty scallywag,” Mr Clarkson said.
Jeremy Clarkson was dropped from the BBC in 2015
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The 65-year-old also took aim at a string of recent editorial decisions, criticising the BBC for editing Donald Trump speeches, using a reporter he described as a “terrorist’s kid” in Gaza, broadcasting what he called a “woeful” Panorama investigation into racism in the police, and airing controversial chants at Glastonbury.
Mr Clarkson further accused Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies of “ruining Doctor Who with ham-fisted climate change dialogue”.
As a result, he argued public confidence has collapsed, claiming the BBC suffered its worst-ever Christmas Day ratings and lost more than £1billion in revenue last year as households stopped paying the licence fee.
“They’ve even lost the director-general now,” he wrote, saying Tim Davie had been forced to concede defeat.
The Clarkson Farm star called for the BBC licence fee to be scrapped
| PAMr Clarkson went on to provide some solutions in the form of sweeping reform.
He proposed merging the BBC with ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 to form a single British streaming giant capable of competing with Netflix, Amazon and Disney.
Under his plan, traditional scheduling would be scrapped entirely in favour of fewer, higher-quality programmes delivered through BBC iPlayer, which he described as “one of the best bits of tech in the business”.
“Make fewer, more expensively produced shows,” he wrote. “And then people can watch them whenever they want.”
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Jeremy Clarkson said he'd keep Radio 4 and BBC News
| GETTYThe former Grand Tour host suggested Britain should replicate the streaming subscription model used by American platforms, insisting the UK has the creative talent to succeed globally if freed from daytime scheduling and budget constraints.
“We have immense talent in this country,” Mr Clarkson said. “And all we have to do to tap into it is nick the streamers’ business model.”
However, the most eye-catching proposal focused on the licence fee itself.
The presenter argued it should be largely abolished, with only a minimal fee retained to fund BBC News and Radio 4.
“I’d keep Radio 4 and BBC News, set the annual licence fee at, I dunno, a tenner,” he wrote.
In return, he said the broadcaster must abandon what he views as political bias.
“No more spliced up edits of Trump’s speeches, no more Gaza nonsense, no more illegal immigrants in the Question Time audience,” he declared.
“Just the news, without any kind of political agenda whatsoever.”
Mr Clarkson said the BBC should focus on a new streaming venture
| GETTYMr Clarkson suggested that once news provision is stripped back, the rest of the BBC could focus on a new streaming venture he dubbed “Britflix”, which he said could provide work for struggling producers, cameramen and editors.
At the end of his column, the Diddly Squat Farm Shop owner floated ideas for future programming, joking that a reboot of The Long Good Friday might now have to be renamed.
“Although today, I guess, it would have to be The Long Eid,” he quipped.