Noel Edmonds

Interesting news just now, that Noel Edmonds has cancelled his TV licence, infuriated by the BBC's threatening infomercials - the ones that tell viewers, "We know where you live". 

Almost inevitably the BBC misrepresents what he has done, saying that Edmonds is angered by the BBC's approach to licence fee evaders. He is in fact quite clear that he's angered by the fact that Auntie threatens everyone, regardless of their guilt or otherwise.

Edmonds was reticent about whether he has got rid of his telly too. Reading between the lines, my guess would be that he has not.

Comments

[Jock]

It was quite an interesting interview actually. I saw him is a completely new light. The BBC he said was just one example that he was able to take some personal action about (ie terminating his TV license) - it was mostly about how angry he is about the whole surveillance society and overbearing state. He came across quite the libertarian.

Not that that would make me able to endure an episode of "Deal or no deal?"

[David G]

Tell them what you think :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/open_consultations/tv_licence.html

[Aileni]

And I had begun to believe he was an automaton.

[Alex Cull]

I find the BBC's "we know where you live" broadcasts irritating too; I've always paid my licence fee, so why threaten me? I've always completed my electoral roll registration when it comes round, and paid my council tax in full, etc., and dislike being menaced with fines for concompliance. The subtext behind all this is: "We know where you live, so that gives us the freedom and licence to badger, bully and nag you, whenever we like." The opposite, presumably, applies to a certain class of people who have no fixed abode: "We don't know where you live, so you can pretty much get away with anything."

[f0ul]

I don't trust his motives - Edmonds was happy enough to pay the license while he was receiving part of it in his pay packet - but this just seems to be a poor media stunt for his new Sky show!