Expert choice

These are the nine that Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has selected to give her "independent advice and valuable insight on future funding models for the BBC", reporting back in the Autumn.

Martin Ivens (Finchley Catholic High School and St Peter's College Oxford) is the current Editor of the Times Literary Supplement and Mr Anne McElvoy. He fulminated about BBC journalism over l'affair Bashir.  

Sir Peter Bazalgette (Dulwich College and Fitzwilliam, Cambridge) BBC trainee, begetter of Ready Steady Cook, importer of Big Brother, and former Chairman of ITV believes the BBC should be funded by a monthly tax on all households, as in Germany. 

Siobhan Kenny, (Manchester University) started out as a Downing St press officer at the time of John Major. She's a former CEO of (the commercial) Radiocentre and Director of Communications at DCMS, now CEO of her own consultancy. In 2015, she said "BBC Radio 1 and 2 do crowd out the commercial market, especially at peak times and often feels like a commercial rival." 

Dame Frances Cairncross, (Laurel Bank, Glasgow, and St Anne's, Oxford), Queen of Reviews, led one for the Government in 2019 on Sustainable Journalism. She recommended that Ofcom take a look at the impact of BBC News Online.  

David Elstein (Haberdashers Aske and Caius College Cambridge) BBC trainee, Panorama and The Money Programme, Channel 5’s first Chief Executive, has campaigned for the BBC to be funded by subscription since the last century.  

Oli Hyatt bills himself as "Animator, Author, Entrepreneur, lobbyist, Hockey Coach and proud Dyslexic". He co-founded Blue Zoo Productions which brought you Go Jetters, and thinks the BBC doesn't pay enough for children's programming.  

Helen Bower Easton (BSc Political Science, Cardiff) was Official Spokesperson at No 10 for David Cameron and Theresa May, a Former Director of Communications for FCDO, and is the current Director of Communications for the Financial Conduct Authority. 

Amber de Botton ( BA Politics and History, Durham) worked at Sky News and then was ITV’s Head of UK News and Head of Politics before serving as Downing Street’s Director of Communications under Rishi Sunak for just under a year.   

Lorna Tilbian (BA History and English, Southampton) started out selling classified ads on Campaign magazine, and is now the Executive Chairman of investment and wealth management firm Dowgate Capital, previously specialising as a media analyst.