And Unsurprisingly, He Said 'Me'

Pity a real journalist didn't ask that question.

That Palace statement, questioning Earl Spencer's account of the days after his sister's death, was a total contrast to its normal "never explain, never complain" mantra.

As we asked Earl Spencer: which Charles are we meant to believe?

Why, the one who has only progressed in his life by the deaths of the women in it, of course! 

First his wife, freeing him to do what he wanted with another man’s wife, and then his mother, granting him the title of king. 

That’s the sort of man who’d think little, if at all, of saying that to a grieving brother.

But You Have Such Awful Values And Standards..

The BBC has said it has "no plans" to broadcast a BBC Three documentary series hosted by Ashley Cain after he was accused of using explicit sexist and misogynistic language in historic social media posts. A second series of Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone was commissioned and filmed earlier this year, but had not yet been scheduled for broadcast. The BBC said it has "no future projects" with Cain planned.

Ah, well, it's only licencepayer's money, plenty more where that came from, eh? 

In a statement issued on Thursday night, a BBC spokesperson said: "The posts by Ashley Cain, albeit from many years ago, are completely unacceptable. 

"The BBC has clear requirements around vetting and social media checks, which are undertaken by the production company. In this instance, the process clearly failed and we are investigating why. We are continuing to strengthen our processes to ensure everyone working for, and on behalf of, the BBC meets our values and standards.

Your values and standards?  But they are far worse than anything this bloke is accused of! Tolerating smut on the radio if it pulls in listeners, employees playing Miss Marple on the clock, the slavish focus on progressive hobby-horses, and don't get me started on the nonce issue....

But It's No Longer Serving The Needs Of The Audience, That's Why It's Failing

New BBC director general Matt Brittin has told staff the BBC "has never been more needed" but that "tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings".

What do we need it for, that other broadcasters cannot provide, exactly? 

In an email to staff, Brittin said: "The BBC has proved throughout its history how quickly it can reinvent itself to serve the needs of audiences - from restructuring for World War II to repurposing during Covid to spinning up services in conflict zones. We need, collectively, to call on that sense of urgency now."

The BBC has never served its audience because that’s not who it’s geared to and on which it has no need to depend for its cash flow. Just like the NHS. 

"I know change will not be easy. Tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings. We should ask ourselves, honestly: if we were inventing the BBC today, what would we do? Then respond with clarity, pace and purpose."

Well, as the old joke goes, I wouldn't start from here! And I agree with Longrider - no one should be forced to pay for a license simply for possessing a tv. Move with the times, move to a subscription model. Then we will see what people truly rhink you are worth...

Does ‘Set A Thief To Catch A Thief’ Translate Into Greek?

Police in Greece have been recruiting migrants to violently push other migrants back across its land border with Turkey, according to wide-ranging evidence uncovered by the BBC.

Well, they do come to take on the dirty jobs that citizens don’t want to do, after all… 

Our findings reveal allegations of brutality, with witnesses reporting migrants being stripped, robbed, beaten and even sexually assaulted. It has been claimed that mercenaries have been unofficially employed on the border since at least 2020.

That’s a risk factor of being involved in a criminal enterprise like trying to enter a county illegally, the people you are mixing with have no morals, like yourself. 

The Greek prime minister told the BBC he was "totally unaware" about allegations of the use of migrants for pushbacks, while the country's authorities have not responded to our written detailed requests for comment.

You can just feel the simmering rage in the copywriter that those filthy dagoes are refusing to answer the allegations, can’t you? 

Pushbacks - forcing migrants and asylum seekers back across borders without due process - are generally considered illegal under international law.

Ah, international law! And we all know that wrong ‘uns love to rely on that, even though its unenforceable, don’t we, Reader?

And Why, I Wonder, Would Anyone Have Cause To ‘Hate The BBC,’, Nihal?

Former BBC radio presenter Nihal Arthanayake, who was at Radio 1 for more than 10 years at the same time as Mills, told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Tuesday: "My first thoughts were obviously with the alleged victim here, without question.

Shouldn't the first thought have been 'Is there even a 'victim' here?; apart from Mills, that is, who appears to have suffered from the BBCs desire not to repeat past mistakes? Full disclosure here - I listen to Radio Two every day, and Mills is a presenter I liked. 

But even if he had not been, his abrupt sacking is looking like an overreaction driven by an over-cautious management, that could backfire if he decides to sue. 

"But also, Scott Mills is a human, he's a person who got his dream job that has now been taken away from him, and his validation, largely, in life, probably was defined by that job. 

Good point, shame it then descended into self pity on behalf of Auntie Beeb.... 

"Therefore, we have to be very careful. There's a current feeding frenzy going on. 

Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!  

"A lot of that is driven by people who just hate the BBC, so they'll use that as a stick to beat the BBC with.

Whu eould that be, I wonder Nihal. Is it it's frequent peddling of obvious propaganda on behalf of those it has decieded are 'vulnerable minorities' instead of groups who want to change British society as it is, or who want to overthow basic principles in favour of insanity?  Is it its strangely partisan approach to what it considers to be news?

"But there is a human being - well, there's two human beings - at the centre of this."

And a lot of humans out there who are no longer willing to fund a national broadcaster that appears to hate them. 

The Men Of No Appearance (Except Technical Nationality) Strike Again!

Two men who were arrested over the arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.

And are they as we suspected? 

The men, British nationals aged 47 and 45, were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and have now been bailed until April.

Well, that hides a multitude of possibilities these days, doesn’t it? 

Cdr Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said there were "strict bail conditions in place while we continue to investigate their suspected involvement in this incident". 

"We continue to work to try and identify all of those involved in this appalling attack and the investigation team is working around the clock to do this," she said.

Oh, so it’s being investigated as terrorism? 

Although the case is not being classed as a terror incident, the Met said the investigation is currently being led by counter-terror officers. The Met previously said the investigation was looking at an Islamist group with potential links to Iran, following unsubstantiated claims of responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya - The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.

Oh. 

Well no doubt all sorts will claim responsibility. Some of them might even be truly foreign.

The BBC has also seen CCTV footage which shows three men approaching the synagogue in February. Members of the Jewish community now believe this could have been a surveillance attempt before the attack this week. The footage, which has since been handed to police, shows a man trying to pull a locked door handle. When challenged, they said they were looking for a local mosque.

Oh,BBC! Bag open, cat frolicking in plain sight! 

Oh Dear, How Sad, Never Mind....

 

The BBC has said it is facing “permanent and irreversible” trends that mean it cannot survive without a major overhaul, as it revealed a stark divergence between the number of people consuming its content and those paying the licence fee. In its opening response to government talks over its future, the corporation said 94% of people in the UK continued to use the BBC each month, but fewer than 80% of households contributed to the licence fee.

Farewell, then - you were once a beaon to the world, but like many a great British institution, you've outstayed your welcome, as Longrider points out.

It said the rise of streaming services and digital platforms such as YouTube had caused blurring and confusion around when the licence fee needed to be paid, suggesting there was “a mismatch” between TV licence rules – based on watching live TV – and the nation’s viewing habits.

Yes, there is - but mostly, it's because  we resent having to pay for you when we want to watch another channel which we have chosen to pay for. If I choose to drive to work, the tube doesn't get to stick their hands in my pocket and rummage around for my spare change; if it wants my custom back, it better be prepared to up its game and earn back my custom.

The BBC is also proposing to host the content of ITV, Channel 4 and other public service broadcasters on iPlayer in an attempt to create a British-based platform that can compete with the likes of Netflix and YouTube.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, eh? Is this going to be instead of the licene fee, or on top of it?

Oh No, Real People! Help, Help, I Feel Unsafe!

A BBC 'journalist' encounters real people's views:

We were filming an interview on the outskirts of a public park in Falkirk when a woman approached. "Can I just ask why you're encouraging these men to sit in this park?" she asked while recording the exchange on her phone. The man we were speaking to for our latest Disclosure documentary was living in a nearby asylum hotel, where angry protests had been taking place since the summer. The woman said men from the hotel had been following local children, and asked us to take our interview elsewhere.

Oh dear, not the hero's welcome for supporting refugees this BBC wonk expected? 

At this point, a group of asylum seekers who we hadn't noticed playing football nearby appeared over the hill. She told me it was my fault they were there and if "anything happens here, you've got it on your head".The woman uploaded her video to the internet. It was viewed millions of times after being shared by right wing influencers such as Tommy Robinson. She was hailed a hero for standing up for women and children. I was deluged with abuse and warned that I should stay out of Falkirk.

LOL! 

I don't believe my interview with this man, who later withdrew consent for its use, put anyone in danger. But this encounter, and its aftermath, gave me perhaps the sharpest insight yet into the fear some within the town - and beyond – have about asylum seekers in their communities.

It doesn't sound much as if you really learned why that  situation existed, but the folk of Falkirk did their level best to school you... 

Asylum seekers are not generally permitted to work while their claims are being processed and get an allowance of £1.42 a day to live on. With free meals, accommodation and no bills to pay, it sticks in the throats of some. Kevin, a regular protester, told me: "They're getting telly, they're getting warmth, they're getting clothing, they're getting phones, they're getting free healthcare and if you think that's right in our country right now, I don't."

Who could possibly think this was a sensible state of affairs, or one that can be sustained for too long without a backlash from the population forced to pay to give invaders a better lifestyle than they themselves can afford? 

The Cladhan was once a favoured place for wedding receptions, anniversaries and birthday parties. No warning was given or consultation held with the local community that up to 90 asylum seekers were going to be housed here in 2021.

Of course they weren't consulted, they knew what the answer would be!  And they knew why that would be the answer...

Former Cladhan resident Sadeq Nikzad, from Afghanistan, was jailed in June for the rape of a 15-year-old local girl. Sarah Jane Waugh, part of the Falkirk Pink Ladies group which wants the hotel closed, told us it "killed me to know that that girl's life was ruined". "We shouldn't be walking about in fear," she added.

No, you shouldn't, Do you think the local council executives are walking about in fear? They should be - fear of ther almighty backlash that is coming! 

There is a feeling among some, perhaps based in part on perceptions around how other cultures treat women, that asylum seekers are more likely to carry out sex attacks. Part of Nikzad's legal defence was that he didn't understand what was and was not allowed due to cultural differences between the UK and Afghanistan.

It can hardly be said to be just a 'perception' when everyone can see exactly how women are treated in these alien cultures when they open their morning newpaper... 

A Pantechnicon Of Popcorn Will Be Needed!

Yesterday, BBC chairman Samir Shah admitted to an 'error of judgment' over the editing but rejected claims of systemic bias and stopped short of issuing a direct apology to Mr Trump. He confirmed that he had received communication from the President's legal team and was considering making a formal apology. 'But he's a litigious fellow. So we should be prepared for all outcomes,' he added. A BBC spokesman said it 'will review the letter and respond directly in due course'.

It has responded. And now it can face the consequences. 

In other developments yesterday:

• A civil war broke out between the BBC board and its news operation over the impartiality row, with fingers being pointed from both sides;
•  There were suggestions it may take as long as nine months to find a replacement for Mr Davie, but he is said to have 'had enough' and will look to relinquish the role sooner;
•  The BBC was on alert for more possible resignations as critics called for a clear-out of executives;
•  Downing Street acknowledged mistakes had been made but backed the corporation, despite growing calls to scrap the licence fee.

Could The Donald finally finish the hated telly tax for us? We can but hope! 

A BBC Reality Show I Might Actually Want To Watch!

 

Nice one, as always, Matt! 

And Then A Stint On 'Strictly'..?

 

Misght as well, eh. Matt?

Hopefully, It's Not A Happy Ending...

 

But eho knows, really? Not even Matt.

Hey, BBC Verify, Never Mind That Plane Crash, Look A Little Closer To Home!

 

A former police community support officer (PCSO) with an "obsession" for weapons has been found guilty of trying to make a gun using a 3D printer. Zoe Watts, 38, of St Helen's Avenue, Lincoln, was found with parts for a semi automatic weapon, a machete, bladed article, crossbow and bow during a raid on her home on 11 December.

She is believed to be the first person in the UK to be convicted of attempting to manufacture a prohibited gun using a printer. She will be sentenced on 8 August.

Itt's, of course, a man in womanface. I guess that's not the sort of 'disinformation' that BBC Verify cares to tackle. They aren't alone, either, most of the MSM keeps up the fiction that this is 'Miss' Zoe Watts. Thankfully, the prison service declined to go along with this nonsense, banging him up with the other men, to the fury of the transcultists.

Watts was previously jailed in 2021 after she was found with banned weapons and explosive substances and had also made an improvised explosive device.

Given the previous convictions that Miss Watts has I would like a report on the issue of dangerousness," Judge Hirst explained.

You could always just take his own words into account, You Honour. 

So Offensive, It Merited Swift Action...

But not so swift it didn't come nearly a half-year after the offense:

Jamie Borthwick has been suspended by the BBC after he used a slur aimed at disabled people on the set of Strictly. A video obtained by The Sun showed the EastEnders actor using the term 'm********s' to describe residents of Blackpool where the show was being filmed at the time.

The term was 'mongoloids' and the time - last November.

The BBC told The Sun on Sunday: 'This language is entirely unacceptable and in no way reflects the values or standards we hold and expect at the BBC. We have robust processes in place for this.'

Just not speedy ones, eh?

Your (Much Longer Than) Five Minutes of Fame Are Up

Former Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has revealed the BBC has cancelled her cooking show after a decade on screen, describing the decision as "really difficult".

The 40-year-old, who won the sixth series of the baking show in 2015, announced the news to her 950,000 Instagram followers in a rambling video discussing changes in her career.

Was The RaceCard pulled? Reader, you knew it would be.... 

Hussain also railed against the "challenges" she faces as a Muslim woman in TV. "Actually, it's really difficult as a Muslim woman.

"I work in an industry that doesn't always support people like me or recognise my talent or my full potential," she said.

Oh, good grief, series are cancelled all the time, especisally cookery shows = Rick Stein hasn't had a new show recently. nor Delia (and neither of those posted rambling 'pity me' videos while taking a political swipe at Israel and the non-existent 'Palestinian genocide')- haven't you made enough money from the run you've had? All those books? 

If not, whose fault is that? Who is ever owed a lifetime contract?

I Must Be Slipping...

...unlike Matt I never thought of that when my weather app went haywire on Thursday morning:

A Fundamental Misunderstanding...

Barnaby's mum Emma, who spoke on behalf of all three families, told The Mirror: 'We believe what the produced is a very imbalanced documentary – it's shameful, cold, ill-judged, arrogant and thoughtless.' She said watching the BBC’s treatment of the case had made their trauma even worse. The BBC only informed them about the show after they had already filmed it and a fortnight before it was due to be broadcast. Emma also claims that none of the victims families were considered or consulted at any point to be told the show was being made.

I see where this bafflement stems from - you consider yourselves, the relatives of those murdered by a mental patient - as the victims of this incident, as everyone else does. 

But this is a BBC documentary, and to them, the murderous mental patient and his relatives are the real victims.

They only found out the killers family were being interviewed on camera when they watched the show.

The families are also concerned over claims from Calocane's family that they did not know of his mental health issues until after the stabbings and are demanding to know why BBC Panorama editors chose not to mention the fact that his mother was an NHS nurse.

We all know why, don't we, Reader? 

The families tried to reach out to the show's editors to express their concerns but say the responses they got were 'cold' and 'dismissive', forcing them to lodge a formal complaint which has been escalated to the corporation’s highest 'stage two' level and they are now awaiting a response.

They were too busy dealing with the 'Strictly' kerfuffle, clearly... 

Hakuna Matata, Gillian...

Using English names for African wildlife is 'jarring', a BBC Springwatch presenter has claimed. Gillian Burke said she prefers to refer to animals by their traditional Swahili names rather than those commonly used in the broadcaster's acclaimed nature programmes. The 49-year-old speculated that there is an 'inequality' in 'who gets to do the naming' and we are 'unwittingly wielding some form of power by naming wild animals'.

*sighs* Oh, well. A lifetime of reading African safari novels & non-fiction has at least stood me in good stead here! 

Writing in BBC Wildlife magazine, Burke said: 'The English names for East Africa's iconic wildlife - so heavily featured in natural history films and in this magazine - jar, at least to my ear.

'In my own writing I prefer re-introducing these familiar animals by their Swahili names: ndovu (elephant), twiga (giraffe), fisi (hyena) and my personal favourite, because I used to love how my dad said it, kongoni (hartebeest).'

Wait, what? Ndovu? It's Tembo, surely?  

 

How The BBC Spends The Licence Fee…

...and who'd ever have predicted it would be 'paying for mistakes made by an employee meddling in a murder case'?

The BBC has reached a settlement and further apologised to the mother of the murdered schoolgirl Karen Hadaway, who claimed that Martin Bashir took her daughter’s clothes and never returned them.

I expect the BBC bosses were happy to do so once assured it wasn't for a sexual purpose! 

In 1991, Michelle Hadaway said that the former BBC reporter asked for her daughter’s clothes for DNA tests for the BBC Two social affairs programme Public Eye. The investigation was never aired, with Hadaway saying that her calls to the broadcaster were ignored.

In 2021, the BBC conducted a review of the case in a fresh effort to try to locate the clothing. The BBC director general, Tim Davie, said the corporation’s investigators had spoken directly to Bashir but he had said he “doesn’t know where the clothes are”.

Davie apologised to the family but said “regrettably 30 years on, little more can be done to find the missing clothes”.

Let's hope at least the BBC has learned that when one of its employees asks 'Hey, can I play at being a forensic expert?' the answer should be 'NO!'... 

"Admit It, You're Not Here For The Football, Are You?"

The BBC has been made to apologise after a reporter asked a player at the Women's World Cup an 'inappropriate' question about homosexuality at a press conference.

The journalist, who reportedly works for the BBC World Service, asked national team captain Ghizlane Chebbak on Sunday: 'We know that gay marriage is illegal [in Morocco]. Are there any gay players in the team? And what is it like for them?'

Now, yes, the 'endangerment' issue is undoubtedly the factor people are homing in on, but why is no-one asking why a journalist there to report on a sport isn't asking about the offside rule or whether she'll use the 4-3-3 formation instead?