BBC to poll public on what they want from broadcaster

The BBC is running its “biggest ever public engagement exercise” as the corporation polls audiences to ask what they want from their public broadcaster at the moment and in the future.

From Thursday, the corporation will send out the Our BBC, Our future questionnaire ahead of the forthcoming review of the corporation’s royal charter which sets the BBC’s mission, public purposes and funding.

Tim Davie, BBC director-general, said: “The BBC belongs to all of us and we all have a say in its future.

“By taking part in this short questionnaire, people will be able to tell us what they want the BBC to offer, what we do well, what we could do better and what they want us to focus on in years to come.

“I hope as many people as possible take a few minutes to tell us what really matters to them and how we can best play our part.”

Poll

The corporation said the questionnaire is “part of the biggest ever public engagement exercise run by the BBC with the aim of seeking up to one million responses”.

As the BBC’s current charter runs until 2027, this will mark the first step in the public being polled, with more research and questionnaires done this year, and in 2026.

Among the questions asked by the BBC are what families watch, listen or use, what more programmes or content are wanted, and what kind of organisation they want the corporation to be.

Respondents can also give answers to “what the BBC should provide overall?”, “how you feel the BBC is doing now?”, and “what the BBC should stand for in the future?”

Comments can also be left and the findings will be published later this year, and will be something that informs the charter review.

Funding

In November last year, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the Government would use a review of the BBC’s royal charter to consider alternative ways of funding the corporation.

So far, she has only ruled out using general taxation to fund the BBC, saying this would leave it too open to interference from the government of the day, and insisted the public should be involved in decisions on the licence fee.

The UK Government has committed to increasing the licence fee in line with inflation each year until 2027, starting with a rise from £169.50 to £174.50 next month.

The BBC has been increasingly cash-strapped, following years when the licence was frozen, and the licence fee increasing at a slower rate than expected amid rising inflation.

The questionnaire will be live until May 29 2025 and is being sent to those with an BBC account.