Could someone please give me one good reason to go out tomorrow and spend £121.00 on a TV licence. BBC TV is a crock o'******, and very rarely is on in this house. Superstars (bbc1) is presently being watched by my brood - filmed in spain, nonentiites are taking part - and being paid handsomely as are the film crew and presenters... presumably outta my pocket. What a crock. We rarely watch BBC programmes, when there is something decent on - rare - they are forever advertising thier own digital BBC3/4/etc... can I get a refund as I can't access these new channels? Radio licences are defunct is it not about time that TV followed suit?

Snow, same here - I very rarely watch BBC although there have been occassions when they really do pull it out of the hat and have some hidden gems - Spooks, Waking the Dead, Blackpool etc, but I could quite happily live without it! £121, I didn't realise it was that much!!! :ranting:

I resent every penny that we spend on our TV License......it infuriates me that we pay 20 quid a month for Sky and have to pay that as well......its not as if we watch that much on the beeb either, we tend to watch channel 4 and Sky......

I think the only prog we watch on BBC is Eastenders, and recently because of such CACK story lines we have been boycotting it!

I hardly ever watch BBC1 either so I object to paying this as well...


But what I really think is unfair is my daughter is in halls of residence at uni and in her flat there are 6 bedrooms & a kitchen/diner that the 6 of them share. They all have to have seperate licences for each of the bedrooms & if they decide to have one in the kitchen/diner they would have to have seperate one as well. Yet I can have as many TV's in my house as I wish, for £121. Hardly fair I feel.

I hardly ever watch BBC1 either so I object to paying this as well...


But what I really think is unfair is my daughter is in halls of residence at uni and in her flat there are 6 bedrooms & a kitchen/diner that the 6 of them share. They all have to have seperate licences for each of the bedrooms & if they decide to have one in the kitchen/diner they would have to have seperate one as well. Yet I can have as many TV's in my house as I wish, for £121. Hardly fair I feel.I agree it seems very unfair - you think they would give students and there families a break wouldn't you? Does this also apply to old people's homes etc?

I pay for mine on direct debt it's about £10 per month so I don't really notice it. I went for years and years without one, then i think I went all legit and even started paying council tax which I also managed to avoid for a time! Must be an age thing!

When I was pregnant and very very poor (saving for the bits and bobs for the baby) I didn't have a tv for about six months and I really didn't miss it after a while. I thought I'd be OK regarding the not renewing my licence as long as I unplugged my tv and didn't watch it! But apparently you need a tv licence even if you never watch the tv!!! Fair play to me though even though it was sat there in the corner of the room I NEVER EVER plugged it in! i wish I could exercise such self control with my eating!! :laugh:

What's a tv licence?:devil:

Does this also apply to old people's homes etc?



I don't know Dol but I wouldn't put it past them.....

I went for years and years without one, then i think I went all legit and even started paying council tax which I also managed to avoid for a time! Must be an age thing!

Me too Dol, but then I got caught. But I'd saved more by not buying one over the years than I was fined, so it all worked out ok.

I can't understand why so many people are saying they watch little on BBC. I would guestimate that about 75% of my viewing is terrestrial BBC, the rest being mostly C4 and an average of one programme a month on none terrestrial.

Although the quality of the programs have deteriorated, I still think the Beeb have the best output and if that means paying £120 a year for a decent standard of entertainment, I'll just have to lump it.

Although the quality of the programs have deteriorated, I still think the Beeb have the best output and if that means paying £120 a year for a decent standard of entertainment, I'll just have to lump it.

I tend to agree with you Nox

After living in Hong Kong for 2 years, commercial free TV was a God send when we returned to UK Then there are the commercial free radio stations that the BEEB provide.

Do you really enjoy commercial breaks every 8-10 mins with your viewing?
I don’t miss Sky one bit, after getting freeview I am now at least £240 per year better off (£480 if I had upgraded to Sky +)

Utilizing my PVR (Digital recorder that can record 2 TV channels at the same time on to a hard disk ect ect) I have more than enough TV to entertain me for 33 pence a day.
:tv_happy:

Could someone please give me one good reason to go out tomorrow and spend £121.00 on a TV licence?
Not too sure whether it is a good reason, but it is a valid reason. And that is if you don't have one and you get caught without one, the fine is about $1,000 [that is pounds btw - my pound sign doesn't work].

I agree with all said here - what bugs me even more is that I have to have a tv licence for the telly at our house in Scotland - it is watched on average 20 hours a YEAR!!!! yeah so it costs us about $6 an hour to watch tv there!!:ranting:

Like Nox, the majority of my viewing is of programmes shown on BBC1 or BBC2 (although CH4 is high on the list too) and generally speaking I like my programmes advert free. I'm happy enough to pay for a licence, I make use of the service and I choose not to pay for Sky. Added to which, I don't drink, smoke or have wild nights on the town so TV is pretty much my only vice!

I find it easier to pay £10 a month by direct debit. I know it's no cheaper, but it doesn't hit you so hard as having to cough up a £120 lump sum each year.

I only realy watch terrestrial tv, and I have no objection paying alicence fee for it. Personally I still think the BBC produce some of the finest programmes around today, and when a serious incident occurs around the world, i will always watch teh BBCs coverage, as I do trust them to report fairly and impartially.

Also, I'm sure that I spend a lot more than 121 quid a year on useless crap that I've been seduced into buying by adverts, so for me, I'm better off not watching commercial tv.

I only realy watch terrestrial tv, and I have no objection paying alicence fee for it. Personally I still think the BBC produce some of the finest programmes around today, and when a serious incident occurs around the world, i will always watch teh BBCs coverage, as I do trust them to report fairly and impartially.

Also, I'm sure that I spend a lot more than 121 quid a year on useless crap that I've been seduced into buying by adverts, so for me, I'm better off not watching commercial tv.


I agree with you Floopy

Could someone please give me one good reason to go out tomorrow and spend £121.00 on a TV licence.The prospect of being fined if you don't?

Remember that the TV licence doesn't pay for the privilege of watch TV programmes - it provides that BBC with an income stream. Without this income stream, there would be far fewer good quality programmes made by the Beeb, and news would be entirely different.

Anyone ever had to pay for the use of the excellent BBC web site? Of course not, directly. And yet it's there, full of extremely useful information, and costs a small fortune to maintain.

Perhaps the TV licence fee isn't the best way to generate income for the BBC, but at least then people can see some kind of link between the money they spend and the programmes they view.

£120 isn't that much to pay when it gives you Pride & Prejudice, The Natural World and Fame Academy :devil:, is it?

Having lived in America and having been bombarbed with commercial after commercial I have no problem with paying the license fee. I also agree with what has been stated about how the BBC provide IMO the best news coverage throughout the world. It's quality stuff and I am sure I remember hearing that when the Iraq war was going on, that sometimes the BBC radion news was the only way that some of the civilians of that country were able to keep up with the events. It is a well respected network throughout the world and I am proud of it. Besides that, it does produce quality dramas and informative programmes. I do have Sky, but find that I tend to stay with the terrestrial channels most of the time.

Don't mind paying for my tv license. THe BBC do have their problems, but they also have some great moments.

Since started studying I have discovered their website. Most essays I write now I am quoting something from the web, its great. They also have a really good children BBC Newsround site that has a special area for teachers, with lesson ideas. As a student teacher I can really see the use in getting the kids involved with what is going on around them. This is A***** in resources.

What I do get peeeed off at is that I live in a flat of 14 and we each have to have a licence. The rule is if you have a lock on your door it is a different accomodation, so if the old ladys lock there door at the retirement home then yes they need there own licence, same goes for army barracks.

You can own a tv, as long as you don't have it plugged in. You can't even use it just to play videos.