Doctor Who: John Whittingdale, the Doctor’s Latest Enemy

Not content to potentially force the BBC to move hit programs like Doctor Who, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has mentioned that he has considered abolishing the BBC.

One of the hallmarks of American politics involves intentionally going out of ones way to obstruct the goals and objectives of the rival political party. It is a sad state of affairs and leads to a great deal of nothing getting done while both sides blame each other. That type of animosity appears to have crossed the ocean to the United Kingdom, where Doctor Who, and the BBC, could be at risk.

The reason? Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, who had previously stated that he would want to force the BBC to change their scheduling, has stated that he is considering abolishing the BBC. This is his idea of a reasonable response in light of how the BBC “drives him insane” with how they regard impartiality, and that he regards the station as “a market intervention of around four billion pounds by government.” Whittingdale has also mentioned that a portion of the BBC’s licensing fee could be given to rival stations as well.

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So, essentially because the BBC is a government agency that supports a more liberal view than Whittingdale is comfortable with, he has considered getting rid of the station. Brilliant. So what next when someone says something he disagrees with? Will he have another hissy fit and look to abolish them as well?

While the BBC does cost the British government a tremendous amount of money, the revenue that the station brings in, as well as the worldwide global impact that their programs have is being ignored. Shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Top Gear are beloved throughout the world. The BBC is a revered institution with a global outreach. Is Whittingdale serious about throwing that away? Perhaps it is no surprise that Whittingdale’s sentiments caused former striker Gary Lineker to name Whittingdale his Chump of the Day.

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The idea of abolishing the BBC is asinine in the first place, but to do so over political differences is even more ridiculous. It is a sad state of affairs that crackpot politicians are migrating over from this side of the pond to the United Kingdom.