gingerjon

The last RU match I went to watch with my camera only went ahead because the away team used an RFU list to call student and ex-players who might be available. They got to a couple short and then were loaned a couple from the home side. And that was a first-team match for a reasonably well resourced club. As I say there may be a swing back and some smaller sports will see growth because they start from a low base (and have lower requirements in terms of competitive commitment) but for now it's obvious that for amateur participants casual and individual sports are where they are heading.

Basically, this. It may swing back but, at the minute, the majority of people I know who participate in 'sport' do so through ones like running and cycling. Things they can work in and around their lives and choose when to commit to big events.

Opera on 3 really is communist propaganda, I agree.

Why? Your tax money (a lot more of it than will ever go to Chris Evans) is going to genuine unaccountable fat cats through opaque government contracts. And, as has been pointed out multiple times, the BBC pays under the market value for pretty much everyone. There isn't a single salary there that would make even a middling US daytime soap bit-part player think, "Oh, must get me some of that action".

The BBC has made an extraordinary amount of cuts already - and needs to continue making them. There's a reason why its once dominant news and sport website is now pretty ropey for example - because the government told them it was restricting commercial rivals from making money with inferior products. Nobody has stepped in to replace the old comprehensive and interactive BBC sites because there's actually no money in it but job done. ITV was able to block the BBC from launching a +1 channel for BBC1 on the grounds that even an hour later the presence of better programmes than it would be broadcasting would put its income at risk. Salaries to 'talent' have always been ludicrous. Ant & Dec took home £30m from ITV last year for example. Do we think Piers Morgan is on more or less than Chris Evans? And is Susanna Reid on the same money as him? There are plenty in that list that make me believe those guys have either weapons-grade blackmail material or a damn good agent but all of them could certainly expect to earn the same or more by moving to commercial broadcasters or abroad. Cat Deeley's paypackets in America will dwarf anything on this list. Absolutely question the BBC. But remember that 40p a day and the quite staggering range of TV, radio and online programming that that gives you. And then notice that yesterday it was pointed out that Hinkley Point may require up to £50bn of subsidy and the day before the eye-wateringly high contracts for HS2 were announced. That's going to cost us all a lot more than 40p a day and people who can hide behind commercial confidentiality will get a lot richer than Chris Evans ever will on the back of it.

How much more accountability do you need? Salaries now in the public domain, government restrictions on being too popular, BBC Trust and equivalents to vet every complaint. Now, compare that to what you know about how ITV (which has a public service remit) is funded, who it pays and how much, and what you can do if you don't like it.

If LeBlanc is smart he'd take less as salary and get himself linked to whatever production company sells it on worldwide.

Isn't it? For my 40p a day I absolutely insist that every programme on every channel meets my every whim and that everyone involved works for whatever wage I deem appropriate and then takes the bus home. In bare feet. Why are so many of the anti BBC shouters also the ones who shout loudest about defending British culture? What do they think the BBC with everything it offers actually is?

So I see the hated EU has now made credit and debit card surcharges illegal. Odd that the positive reporting on this change wasn't too keen to mention that.

40p a day. That's what the BBC costs you.

Yup, I now get to retire at 68. Whoop.

Beef tea aka Bovril With pepper in

I do like the radio plays. I've listened to a fair few of them - and it's been an age since I've properly watched any of the TV ones!

She looked kinda hot in that trailer so I may take a passing interest in the series now.

To be fair, not all private schools are charities. The one my younger goes to isn't (for example) whereas the independent special school Little Ginger attends is (which saves local authorities money on fees). However, absolutely I agree that Eton and those schools being charities is a joke. PTAs can be charities though which is a way for state schools to get some limited charitable benefit.