Accounting

We're less than a month away from the traditional publication date of the BBC Annual Report, the first under new chairman Richard Sharp.  Last year's was late - delayed to mid-September, because of Covid, and signed off by barely-in-post new DG Tim Davie. 

The new report will come out in the middle of the mid-Charter review of the BBC, which is expected to include a new licence fee deal.  To encourage the BBC to think hard, the DCMS has turned its attention to sticking pins in Channel 4, which clearly has to be punished for Channel 4 News, The Last Leg, not-really-moving-to-Leeds and many other sins of wokery.  Ostensibly in the lead is Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, given spine and resolution by old nice-but-tough-guy John Whittingdale and No 10 enforcer Dougie Smith. Cui bono, I hear you ask, if Channel 4 is privatised ?

So the tone of the Annual Report will be interesting, as will those perennial favourites, salaries over £150k, headcount and outstanding pay grievances. Expect, also, detailed celebrations of programmes not made in London, but few clues to the actual emerging strategy for the next five years.