RILEYS SPORTS CLUBS AND THE BBC

INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The fashion seems to be to ‘knock’ the BBC.

The fashion seems to be to doubt its existence or life in a changed and challenging UK Parliament beyond May 2010.

The fashion is to assume that the BBC Licence Fee is a peculiar British tax which is doomed and in turn, reflects the future of the Corporation itself.

The fashion has become so acceptable that we fear some within the BBC may have accepted it.

Therefore we welcome this opportunity to offer another vision and to do so as a friend, if a critical friend, of the BBC.

In this response to the BBC Trust we urge the BBC Executive not to attempt to ‘second guess’ critics but to emerge with a strong well defined strategy in key areas and then build a consensus across political and public lines.

We urge the BBC not to become a narrow-caster, especially on BBC Two, and to fully understand the impact its contribution has on Britain’s economic and social life and become a stronger advocate of the BBC itself.

We do not wish to see the BBC reduce its role to a narrow elitist one and we want it to continue to reflect all social and economic classes on its services, especially BBC Two.

We wish the BBC Executive to rethink its strategy for BBC Two; consider a stronger strategy for BBC Sport beyond 2012 and to develop, not reduce, its commitment to live sports coverage especially of Snooker, Darts and others on ‘free-to-air’ TV.

A focus on elitism would impinge the BBC and would lose it support. The only focus should be on excellence. That excellence should be demonstrated by the BBC being distinctive in all it does, whether it is a fantasy drama such as ‘Ashes To Ashes’ or the latest reincarnation of ‘Doctor Who’ to the way the Corporation innovates and uses new technology to capture the real tension and stress faced by world class players of Snooker in the toughest tournaments.

A focus on elitism would produce an old fashioned and narrow view of modern broadcasting and the impact a well funded broadcaster with a Public Service remit can achieve.

A focus on elitism would impinge the BBC and would lose it support. The only focus should be on excellence.

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Specifically we conclude:

Within the digital age it will become more not less important and vital to sustain the breadth, impartiality and freedom of a well funded institution such as the BBC.

The BBC must touch all classes in society; it must celebrate even encourage excellence and achievement in all the sports and cultural events it touches.

While Sky and others offer brilliant sports and other coverage we feel that a ‘free to air’ alternative which is well funded and well defined is of critical importance to the nation.

It is our view that to sustain high quality, well funded and impartial programming the licence fee still represents the best solution.

We would encourage the BBC Executive to make the case in a stronger and more forceful way.

We wish to see the BBC work closely with us, other sports bodies as well as other cultural bodies to develop and strengthen the range of live sports and other events on BBC TV and radio.

We feel a formal alliance as described above would be good for the BBC and for those who seek to genuinely work with the Corporation.

There is also another reason why the BBC should consider the above. The figures we have quoted relating to the economic benefits of the Top ten participation sports in the UK are impressive. The impact on health and social budgets and on society is also immense. These arguments are powerful evidence for a strong advocacy of the licence fee and we imagine would be strengthened further when applied to other areas of the BBC output from for say, gardening to culture, where the economic and social impact on the UK is immense.

In this document we also conclude with a series of other recommendations for the BBC to consider as an alternative to some of the proposals outlined in the BBC Review.

First allow us to explain who we are and why we wish to respond in detail to the BBC.

We wish to see the BBC work closely with us, other sports bodies as well as other cultural bodies to develop and strengthen the range of live sports and other events on BBC TV and radio.

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RILEYS: ITS SIGNIFIGANCE IN SPORT, CULTURE AND COMMUNITIES

Colour Television broadcasts in the late 1960s and the experimental BBC Two series, ‘Pot Black’, revolutionised the game of Snooker and its image in the UK and abroad; creating a new raft of household names and predominantly strong working class role models for a new generation.

By the mid-1980s the game and Television could draw an astonishing 18m viewers, after midnight, for the heroic battle between the legendary Dennis Taylor and the seemingly invincible Steve Davis.

Snooker gave TV a new sport to attract viewers to the fledgling colour signals on UHF and BBC Two and TV gave snooker unparalleled exposure which propelled a new range of personalities and sportsmen into the public consciousness and for many of those stars, a route; an escape; an opportunity to move from their tough working class roots into a new world of achievement.

Throughout the 1960s and the decades which followed Rileys was at the heart of that success; in 2010 we still are.

Our origins date back to 1878 when E.J. Riley, a Manchester based entrepreneur left his safe and comfortable job in a bank to follow his passion and became the leading manufacturer of snooker tables, cues and other equipment in Britain and the Empire with a signature trade mark which represented assured quality and reliance.

Davis and Taylor would eventually join the host of new stars from the TV generation who would choose Rileys’ famous equipment including Jimmy White, Willie Thorne and Cliff Thorburn.

Many had learned their game inside one of EJ Riley’s famous Snooker emporiums; which first opened in Ardwick, Manchester around 1878 before spreading across the country.

Today, Rileys is busy encouraging, promoting and supporting a new generation of stars. Its 120 clubs encourage a strong etiquette and ethos and continually help young men to focus on sport and achievement.

Rileys is split into two distinct companies; a manufacturer and a sports hall business which is promoting Snooker, Pool and since 2009 is leading a Darts revolution around the country.

This company is hugely active at the amateur and professional levels of the game and is working closely with World Snooker to bring audiences and the excitement back to the game through new events, new concepts and increasingly, through new formats for British and World Television.

Snooker, Rileys and the BBC have played a significant part in popularising a sport which could have remained ‘hidden’ in pubs, clubs and a million social centres across the land. BBC TV changed the game and changed the lives of players and audiences.

Today, Rileys is busy encouraging, promoting and supporting a new generation of stars. Its 120 clubs encourage a strong etiquette and ethos and continually help young men to focus on sport and achievement.

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THE BBC IN THE MEDIA ECOLOGY AND IMPORTANCE TO CULTURE AND SPORT

The BBC is one of the unique and very special institutions which have sustained and nurtured the country through great and difficult times and acted as a constant force in changing times and often changing values; The BBC is admired and envied at home and in other countries.

The concept of placing a commercial free and independent, yet fair and impartial broadcaster, at the centre of national life and of the media ecology in the UK was and remains remarkable and inspired; so much so that it is a model which countries such as France are attempting to emulate now and is a model which has inspired other broadcasting systems around the globe.

The concept of creating a broadcast ecology with a strong, popular, well financed, yet Public Service remit at its heart has led to the BBC setting huge and important technical as well as production standards for those that have followed including ITV and later, the satellite broadcasters.

Creating a system which first allowed a commercial rival (ITV) and later in Channel Four, a state owned commercial rival, to flourish without competition for spot advertising or sponsorship from the BBC has remained and continues to be a real strength of the British system.

This places the BBC in a pivotal position which many, particularly in the USA, have always wished they could have replicated in radio and TV.

Tamper with this ecology and the impact would be felt not just by commercial rivals, if say the BBC were ever forced to take advertising in the way of Channel Four or RTE in Ireland, but also by the huge audiences which are served by the BBC on a daily and weekly basis and which appreciate freedom from the commercial clutter around rivals.

While the licence fee attracts understandable comment and controversy in certain and rival parts of the print media, it is our view that it represents value for money for fee payers and that the BBC plays a critical and central role in the UK’s economy as well as in popular and social culture.

Strangely its existence can and does protect the likes of ITV and commercial radio while providing a strong and high quality alternative. Abandonment of the licence fee would mean that real choice would have to come from new commercial rivals who would compete for advertising, sponsorship or subscription fees against ITV, Channel Four and commercial radio. The losers would be the shareholders (other than Channel Four which is owned by the State via Ofcom) of ITV and BSkyB as well as the public at large which could see programme budgets cut further.

That is not to say that we believe that the BBC Trust should relent on its mission to maintain costs, trim duplication and hopefully avoid some of the pit falls which have given the BBC’s critics fair grounds for complaint.

Watching the BBC score ‘own goals’ has been as painful as the BBC’s attempts to recover lost ground. Pay, pensions, Ross-Brand, ageism, expenses,gravy train stories have all dominated the likes of The Daily Mail and must have made even the BBC’s strongest friends question their support of ‘Auntie’.

While the licence fee attracts understandable comment and controversy in certain and rival parts of the print media, it is our view that it represents value for money for fee payers and that the BBC plays a critical and central role in the UK’s economy as well as in popular and social culture.

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However, within the unique ecology of British media the strength of the BBC has been its ability to innovate and to do so away from strong commercial or ratings pressures.

Local radio was an innovation of the late 1960s and 1970s; Radio Three and the annual BBC Proms Festival has popularised an art form and acted as a pathfinder for others to follow including commercial companies and broadcasters such as Classic and Lyric FM.

John Peel and Johnnie Walker became sirens for numerous new bands and acts which enjoyed the unique on-air patronage of these famous DJs; their support, often led to super stardom.

Galton and Simpson to Lucas and Walliams represent a form of innovation and development which would be impossible to replicate elsewhere, especially as the latter grew from radio and on to TV via BBC Three then BBC Two and eventually into prime time BBC One territory.

The lineage from Sir Robin Day to the current day Jeremy Paxman represents the best of a strong independent and fearless forensic approach to intelligent reporting and analysis.

In sport, the BBC contribution is simply immense.

Over 50 years, BBC TV, has turned the Aintree Grand National into a global event which even helped to give the City of Liverpool confidence in its dark days of Militant, economic decline and troubles.

Live Football, highlight programmes and World Cup coverage represent BBC Sport at its best alongside live coverage and analysis of Rugby, Tennis and of course, Golf.

We have already commented on the enormous contribution the BBC makes to snooker. Here the significance is deeper than just coverage. The game is part of the culture of our country, enjoyed by millions of people of all classes and social and economic backgrounds.

Like Golf and other major sports including Football, Snooker encourages young people to learn a disciplined, skilful, sport which has a strong ethos and etiquette which we and others recognise is not only good for the individual but good for society as a whole.

Rileys believes that the BBC’s contribution to Snooker and sport can be measured in two ways; economic and as a valuable social good.

Economically, the continued exposure of Snooker on the BBC makes it one of the UK’s Top Ten participation sports. Mintel, the respected research and consumer trends company, estimates that more than 3.5 million play the game each year in the UK. Millions more will play English and American Pool.

Together these participation sports, which also include Football and Darts, generated a total value to the UK economy in 2008 of £4.4 billion, again according to Mintel. This figure has increased by 17% since 2004.

Economically, the continued exposure of Snooker on the BBC makes it one of the UK’s Top Ten participation sports. Mintel, the respected research and consumer trends company, estimates that more than 3.5 million play the game each year in the UK.

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Sport England estimates that 25m people are active in one or more of these top ten sports and also believe that 10m adults now play through an organised club or leisure company.

Television exposure; free to air exposure, can take much of the credit for helping to encourage people on to the courts, pitches, pools and sports clubs in the country. That credit is then further amplified by the encouragement of BBC in activities such as the hugely successful Sport Relief.

This economic value is immense but the benefits to the country go way beyond the savings to the NHS budget; because participation and the etiquette of sport can change people’s lives even more dramatically.

The game of snooker has an important role to play in providing role models for young people especially young males who often feel isolated or alienated from society.

They watch their heroes and role models on TV such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and discover that they too can pick up a cue and attempt to change their lives. Ronnie O’Sullivan, the World Snooker Number One rated player recently told Rileys in an interview on the sport; ‘I learned that I had to respect my elders as snooker halls have their own culture. I do think that is where I learned a lot of my discipline by just watching how dedicated the players were’.

He concluded; ‘That would inspire me to be even more professional’.

Recently in a submission to DCMS (Department for Culture Media and Sport) we highlighted two stories. ‘David’ has overcome a 20 year addiction to serious drugs and serious crime and turned it into a winning addiction for cue sports. Mitchell Mann in Birmingham has overcome serious illness to reach the point where he may turn professional soon.

By entering a snooker hall as a young man, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s life was turned around; he is one of many. David literally owes his life to the impact which the sport had on him. (*)

For many the inspiration came from seeing the game on TV.

For these and other reasons we have cited, Rileys believes that the unique position of the BBC in our media ecology and culture must be maintained and strengthened by Parliament.

However it is vital that the BBC Trust and the BBC Executive define their remit to culture and sport in the broadest way.

A focus on elitism would impinge the BBC and would lose it support. The only focus should be on excellence. That excellence should be demonstrated by the BBC being distinctive in all it does, whether it is a fantasy drama such as ‘Ashes To Ashes’ or the latest reincarnation of ‘Doctor Who’ to the way the Corporation innovates and uses new technology to capture the real tension and stress faced by world class players of snooker in the toughest tournaments.

The game of snooker has an important role to play in providing role models for young people especially young males who often feel isolated or alienated from society.

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A focus on elitism would produce an old fashioned and narrow view of modern broadcasting and of the impact which a well funded broadcaster with a Public Service remit can achieve.

The BBC much touch all classes in society; it must celebrate even encourage excellence and achievement in all the sports and cultural events it touches.

A focus on elitism would not silence the BBC’s critics, rather it would open the door to claims that the Corporation is not universally appreciated or watched.

We wish the BBC to fully emulate and explore the mirror it holds to society whether that is within the painfully accurate and brilliant ‘The Street’ by Jimmy McGovern; to the funny and wry comedy of Caroline Aherne; we also wish the BBC to fully explore and develop all of the cultural elements of life across the social and class barriers within the UK including in Football, Snooker, Darts and other sports which fully reflect the success and aspirations of millions of ordinary viewers and listeners.

We wish the BBC to accentuate excellence. However we do not feel that it is within the interests of viewers or listeners to narrowly define either the term ‘culture’ or reduce commitments to sports and activities which are at the heart of our, largely, cohesive and tolerant society.

A focus on elitism would not silence the BBC’s critics, rather it would open the door to claims that the Corporation is not universally appreciated or watched.

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COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSALS BY THE BBC DIRECTOR GENERAL AND BBC EXECUTIVE

Rileys welcomes the opportunity to comment on Mark Thompson’s Review and on the work and proposals of his Executive.

We are enormously supportive of the BBC. We believe that it has a unique place in the media ecology which is envied abroad and we believe that its role in our national life is critical. We feel that its role actually becomes more and not less important in the digital age.

Equally, we do understand the concerns and criticisms which others level at the BBC and we do feel the Corporation has been slow and perhaps wrong not to have anticipated some of the issues which have dragged it into time consuming media rows with hostile opponents and which may have weakened its reputation at a sensitive time.

We also accept, and Jeremy Paxman made it clear in his own MacTaggart Lecture, that sustaining the licence fee in the digital age will be difficult.

However, we take the broader view: that within the digital age it will become more not less important and vital to sustain the breadth, impartiality and freedom of a well funded institution such as the BBC.

To succeed; we would encourage the BBC to define its role clearly and precisely; to withdraw from some functions best served by commercial operators, but not to define its role so narrowly that it becomes alienated or isolated from audiences which will be key to its future and which may come to cherish and treasure it in the complex digital future.

In that complex digital future, we are already seeing areas where commercial rivals are struggling to perform and ironically that should help to define the BBC even more.

In recent years we have seen ITV argue for public funding for regional and national news and withdraw from certain areas of programming notably Children’s TV and the arts as well as hard nose current affairs and documentaries other than celebrity led fare. The BBC should monopolise these areas.

We have seen Channel Four boast that it would revolutionise digital radio and then quickly withdraw while also asking for public monies for its TV services. In radio, there are services which only a well funded PSB can provide such as BBC Radio Four, Radio Three and in part Radio Five Live. On other services such as Radio One or Two; we do feel that there has to be a distinctive PSB test applied to output including entertainment programmes i.e. the BBC must ask why such and such a show is a BBC broadcast as opposed to a commercial one; is it depth of research; is it unique or exclusive material?. In other words is it really excellent and distinctive and unlikely to be heard on services provided by say, Bauer, Global or GMG Radio?

While Sky and others offer brilliant sports and other coverage we feel that a ‘free to air’ alternative which is well funded and well defined is of critical importance to the nation and we feel that this is an argument well worth making.

within the digital age it will become more not less important and vital to sustain the breadth, impartiality and freedom of a well funded institution such as the BBC.

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Therefore it is our view that to sustain high quality, well funded and impartial programming the licence fee still represents the best solution.

We would encourage the BBC Executive to make the case in a stronger and more forceful way.

Especially as the price comparison between the BBC and other models such as subscription TV seems to lend weight to the BBC’s arguments and because it is clear that commercial rivals such as ITV want to focus and need to focus on programmes which will maximise the audience, such as ‘X-Factor’, ‘I’m a Celebrity’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. These shows on ITV may be good and popular and entertaining but fail to reflect the depth and complexity of the nation or regions as programmes such as ‘The South Bank Show’; ‘World in Action’, ‘First Tuesday’ and others have done in our analogue past and when ITV had a true commercial monopoly.

We would encourage stronger and more public advocacy from the Director General and his colleagues on these issues.

That said we do have concerns about certain elements within the proposals from the BBC Executive.

1) The proposals to close BBC Six Music and the BBC Asian Network puzzle us. We fear that it may be a form of pre-emptive ‘self harming’ designed to second guess what the BBC’s critics may demand.

2) If that is the case then we fear that the actions will simply lead to further demands for the closure or privatisation of other services such as Radio One or Two which could inflict serious harm on the Corporation’s reach.

3) We also feel that while the proposal to strengthen BBC Two with extra funding is very welcome we fear that the focus of the channel has become confused. The Executive rightly praises many ‘quality’ programmes on the channel from ‘Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain’ through to ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Miranda’.

4) However if BBC Two is not simply to become a better funded BBC Four (and therefore questioning the role of Four) it would surely be wiser to play to its real strengths which are far more universal: ‘Top Gear’ is a much loved universal and popular brand; ‘Newsnight’ is a distinctive landmark appointment to view; ‘Match of the Day Two’; the coverage of The Masters Golf; BBC Sport’s excellent coverage of Wimbledon; Rugby as well as Darts and Snooker make the channel popular and with an enviable and enormous ‘reach’ as measured by BARB across a calendar year.

5) ‘The Apprentice’ swopped channels after the nursery slopes of BBC Two and gave its sister channel BBC One a ratings success. The same is true of ‘Little Britain’ (Founded on BBC Radio Four and BBC Three TV) and of course ‘Have I Got News For You?’ and most recently, Graham Norton.

6) Losing this range and losing the ability of BBC One and Two to share great sporting events would, in our view, be a backward and detrimental step in the UK media ecology.

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BBC Sport’s excellent coverage of Wimbledon; Rugby as well as Darts and Snooker make the channel popular and with an enviable and enormous ‘reach’ as measured by BARB across a calendar year.

7) We also fear that the proposal of the BBC not to seek exclusive sports rights on BBC radio and imposing an unexplained cap (how is the figure of 9% of licence fee income reached?) on bidding for sports rights seems arbitrary and again we fear may be more to do with ‘second guessing’ critics than considering what is best for viewers.

8) We wish to see the BBC innovate with sport and feel that it is detrimental to the country that the Corporation should have retreated from some sports events (noticeably Cricket and The Ashes) while also reducing its commitment to others such as Horse Racing.

9) While we accept it would be wrong to spend a disproportionate amount of income on say, live rights for Premier League Football, which can be offered by commercial operators and is available in public bars and clubs; we feel that an unrealistic cap on spending is a poor management tool.

10) However there are some events, including The Ashes, where ‘free to air’ transmission could benefit younger viewers, especially those who could not easily frequent bars and clubs.

11) Therefore we would like to see a more detailed structural review and strategy for sports beyond the London Olympics of 2012 to emerge from the Corporation.

12) We would like that review to spell out a strategy for coverage and to consider the merits of big ticket sports such as Premier League Football to be measured against the important reach and promotion the BBC can give to other popular sports such as Snooker and Darts which attract good audiences to channels such as BBC Two.

13) We wish to see the BBC work closely with us, other sports bodies as well as other cultural bodies to develop and strengthen the range of live sports and other events on BBC TV and radio.

14) We feel a formal alliance as described above would be good for the BBC and for those who seek to genuinely work with the Corporation.

15) There is also another reason why the BBC should consider the above. The figures we have quoted relating to the economic benefits of the Top ten participation sports in the UK are impressive. The impact on health and social budgets and on society is also immense. These arguments are powerful evidence for a strong advocacy of the licence fee and we imagine would be strengthened further when applied to other areas of the BBC output from for, gardening to culture.

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The figures we have quoted relating to the economic benefits of the Top ten participation sports in the UK are impressive. The impact on health and social budgets and on society is also immense.

COMMENTS ON THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE BBC AND SPORT AND BBC SERVICES TO COMMUNITIES AND THE UK

Therefore instead of reducing its commitment to sport, especially Snooker and Darts on BBC Two; we would like the BBC to create a new Strategy for BBC Sport beyond 2012.

In this review we would urge the BBC to consider the merits of launching a new broader based, predominantly live sports programme, which would feature a number of sports. We do believe that such an approach could introduce new sports to viewers who may not watch long form coverage of an individual sport.

BBC Grandstand and programmes such as Sportsnight did allow viewers to sample and become interested in sports and events which they may otherwise have had no exposure to. A 21st Century, predominantly live programme of this type is clearly worth consideration by the broadcaster.

We would also like it to reconsider its plan to place a possibly arbitrary cap on expenditure on sports rights and reconsider its proposal not to bid for exclusive radio sports rights, if the public interest is not served by these recommendations.

We would like the BBC to do more and consider some other cost saving solutions:

a) We would encourage the BBC to consider carefully the strategy behind the acquisition of Lonely Planet. Does this represent a correct engagement of licence payers money and does it fit into an overall strategy for the future?

b) We would encourage the BBC to more narrowly define the commercial activities of BBC Worldwide and reassess its financial stakes in channels abroad and independent producers at home; which can distort private investments; seriously disadvantage those private investments and may infringe competition laws within the European Union.

c) We would invite the BBC to consider amalgamating the digital radio services of Radio Five Live Extra with BBC Seven in a new talk and sports mix which could also prove complimentary to BBC Radio Four.

d) We would encourage the BBC to consider more programme sharing within its Local Radio services within specific regions, especially at night and during evenings.

e) We would encourage the BBC to consider programme sharing overnight between services such as BBC Radio Two and BBC Radio Five Live.

f) We note the BBC’s decision over the future of ‘Working Lunch’ on BBC Two and we would encourage the BBC to examine whether its daytime output during weekdays on BBC Two is, with the exception of ‘The Daily Politics’, really distinctive and whether it represents value for money? We wonder if it should be discontinued with the channel opening later in the way BBC Three and BBC Four do?

BBC Grandstand and programmes such as Sportsnight did allow viewers to sample and become interested in sports and events which they may otherwise have had no exposure to.

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g) We would encourage the BBC to consider whether the BBC News Channel and BBC Parliament could be better utilised to provide content for BBC Two during day parts when there is no live sports or other live events.

h) We would encourage the BBC to reconsider its regional policy which has seen some programmes and programme units moved to centres outside London; does this policy really work and does it represent value for money?

i) We welcome the move of parts of the BBC to Greater Manchester but would like to encourage the BBC to consider how output from the North can become distinctive from other parts of the BBC in the same way output from HBO in New York is clearly different to the LA based producers and Granada Television was so distinctive from its ITV counterparts and the BBC.

j) To achieve the above we would like the BBC to consider further devolution of some of the spending decisions to the North and maybe other BBC centres such as BBC Scotland.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

A well funded ‘free-to-air and impartial BBC is important to the future of the UK.

We would like to see stronger advocacy for the licence fee in the digital age as we believe the Corporation becomes more not less important in the uncertain digital future.

We are concerned about some of the proposals of the BBC Executive as we fear they are attempting to ‘second guess’ critics and may, long term, prove a dilution of range and ambition for a BBC which could see itself weakened.

Rather than ‘second guess’ we feel the BBC should redefine its strategy and range and then take its world view of itself to the public and build a consensus both politically and universally for the BBC going forward.

We fear any narrow definition of the word,’ culture’ on the BBC especially BBC Two, and feel that the Corporation must continue to explore, understand and reflect all cultures and races in the UK including working class interests which have helped shape our society.

We would like to see a strong strategy for BBC Sport beyond London 2012 emerging and a re-think of plans to impose an arbitrary cap on sports rights expenditure and bidding for exclusive rights as this may narrow the appeal of its services and may not be within the public interest.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss our ideas and aspirations for the BBC’s future directly with both the BBC Trust and BBC Executive.

Richard Sowerby (Chairman) Maurice Kelly (Chief Executive)

For more information: please contact Deborah Jowett, Personal Assistant to the CEO of Rileys Clubs Ltd (Valiant Sports Ltd) 01908 828178. (*) David’s name has been changed at his request, a full copy of his story and interview are available via Rileys.

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We fear any narrow definition of the word,’ culture’ on the BBC especially BBC Two, and feel that the Corporation must continue to explore, understand and reflect all cultures and races in the UK including working class interests which have helped shape our society.