Celebrating 100 years of our BBC with Bectu
As the BBC turned 100 last week, Bectu hosted a parliamentary reception to celebrate the centenary and launch our #ALicenceToMore campaign, alongside Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell MP.
MPs, Peers and industry leaders gathered to mark the occasion, celebrate the work of Bectu members and make clear the determination for the next 100 years to be as much of a success.
Alongside the Shadow Culture Secretary, Head of Bectu Philippa Childs and BBC Director General Tim Davie spoke about the BBC’s importance within British culture, its significant economic impact, and its incalculable contribution to public service broadcasting over the past 100 years.
Philippa Childs said:
“In its centenary year, the BBC has proven itself to be more valuable than ever. Putin’s war in Ukraine has demonstrated the value of a strong British public service broadcaster.
“During the dark days of the Covid pandemic it became the country’s biggest classroom, and the BBC’s recent coverage of Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral and the country’s ten-day mourning period, reminded us all how integral the BBC is to our country’s history.
“Together with the NUJ, we will continue to have robust debates with the BBC about restructuring, pay and pension reforms, and diversity and inclusion. It is because of our strong working relationship, and the important contribution of our BBC representatives, that we are able to have such conversations constructively and within the context of shared aims of a highly skilled and motivated workforce and a BBC that remains relevant and at the heart of British life.”
Guests included MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum, including Jo Stevens MP, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, Julian Knight MP, Lord Dykes, Baroness Bonham Carter and Baroness Featherstone. Chairman of the BBC Richard Sharp was also in attendance, as well as Chief Executive of Screen Skills Seetha Kumar and leading figures from charities, campaign organisations and unions.
As one of the key unions in the BBC, Bectu is leading the campaign to protect the BBC with our #ALicenceToMore campaign – stay tuned for further updates.
The BBC has been the bedrock of British culture for a century, and its public service ethos to inform, entertain and educate is something that we must fiercely protect and defend.