The battle for the soul and future of the BBC is clearly under way. It’s charter decision year; Trump is after the corporation’s scalp; parliamentary committees are embroiled in the vexed questions of how to pay for public service broadcasting and what to do about the relentless expansion of streamers; and the new director general is imprisoned in yet another round of cuts. Oh, and the Doctor Who Christmas special has been junked this year. Just to spice things up, Michael Grade has peppered this newspaper with the old charge that the BBC is part of the London metropolitan elite.

It’s not looking good for Auntie. Where is the love? Why is this great British institution not in the same position as the NHS – criticised of course, but revered in a way that means no political party – not even Reform or Restore – would think of advocating abolition?

Maybe we are looking in the wrong place. The debates about the BBC are necessarily being conducted in parliament, the media, academia and among pundits and media analysts. The BBC did ask the public for their views on itself last year; more than 800,000 people replied, but in its overcautious........

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