‘What has the BBC ever done for me?’ Romesh Ranganathan reboots corporation’s 1985 licence fee plea

Romesh Ranganathan in the Queen Vic with punters including David Jason, Adam Woodyatt and Sue Perkins. Photograph: BBC View image in fullscreen Romesh Ranganathan in the Queen Vic with punters including David Jason, Adam Woodyatt and Sue Perkins. Photograph: BBC ‘What has the BBC ever done for me?’ Romesh Ranganathan reboots corporation’s 1985 licence fee plea As with the John Cleese original, comedian is supported by famous faces from Claudia Winkelman to David Jason John Cleese’s 1985s advert for the BBC in which he asks a pub full of stars, “ What has the BBC ever given us? ” is one of the most famous examples of the corporation making the case to the public for the value of paying the licence fee. In the advert , Cleese is complaining to the bartender that he has just bought his TV licence. “Fifty-eight quid for the privilege of sitting in your own home, watching your own television set. It’s diabolical. I mean, what’s the BBC ever given us for 58 quid?” he says, before being put right by a string of punters, ranging from David Attenborough and John Humphrys to Terry Wogan and David Jason. Now, over 40 years later, as the corporation cranks up its campaign for the charter that allows it to operate to be renewed, it has rebooted the advert with a new musical version fronted by Romesh Ranganathan and directed by Dougal Wilson, the man behind Paddington in Peru and the John Lewis Christmas ad campaigns. The comedian stars as a disgruntled licence fee payer grumbling in EastEnders’ Queen Vic pub to a host of household names including Chris Martin, Claudia Winkleman, David Jason and Greg James. View image in fullscreen Claudia Winkelman pulls a pint of The Traitor’s Ale. Photograph: BBC The comedian then has a whistle-stop song and dance tour of the BBC’s shows and services, featuring about 90 famous faces, from Alan Carr to Cate Blanchett, from Bluey to Clive Myrie. The BBC faces what its director general, Matt Brittin, described recently as “a moment of real jeopardy” due to a decline in licence fee payments and the rise of rivals such as YouTube, TikTok and the streamers. The number of people paying the BBC’s licence fee fell faster than expected in the last year, with half a million more households opting out of the payment. To illustrate what might be lost, near the end of the advert Ranganathan is propelled to the backstage of Strictly Come Dancing to meet Louis Theroux, who says: “You know, none of this has to exist,” as he puts his hand on the lever of a giant on/off switch marked BBC, “if we don’t want it to.” View image in fullscreen Louis Theroux has his hand on the BBC’s on/off switch. Photograph: BBC The film is being premiered on TV during the World Cup final and was launched on on social platforms on Sunday morning. It has had some positive reaction from viewers, but a lukewarm response from some quarters, with the Telegraph complaining that the selection of BBC offerings presented are “notably middlebrow” and the Times complaining