Romesh Ranganathan stars in a reboot of the BBC’s 1985 licence fee advert, a musical update of the classic John Cleese sketch. The original featured Cleese complaining about the £58 fee before being corrected by a pub full of stars like David Attenborough and Terry Wogan. The new version, directed by Dougal Wilson, shows Ranganathan grumbling in the Queen Vic pub from EastEnders, surrounded by celebrities including Chris Martin, Claudia Winkleman, David Jason, and Greg James.
Star-studded musical tour of BBC offerings
The advert features a whistle-stop song and dance through BBC shows, with about 90 famous faces from Alan Carr to Cate Blanchett, Hey Duggee to Clive Myrie. It premiered on TV during the World Cup final and launched on social media Sunday morning. The film aims to highlight the value of the BBC as it faces a decline in licence fee payments, with half a million more households opting out last year.
Ranganathan defends the BBC
Ranganathan said, “I strongly, strongly believe that the BBC should exist and, look, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s without its flaws.” He added, “I really do feel strongly that we should have a BBC and I think that there is nothing else that does what the BBC does.” He noted that growing up, the BBC’s Goodness Gracious Me inspired him to pursue comedy.
Mixed reactions to the advert
The advert has received positive viewer reactions but criticism from some quarters. The Telegraph called it “notably middlebrow,” while the Times complained it was a rehash of an old idea. The film ends with Louis Theroux standing by a giant on/off switch marked BBC, saying, “You know, none of this has to exist, if we don’t want it to.”
