BBC: Government Role in Impartiality

Baroness Chakrabarti Excerpts

Wednesday 15th March 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Young of Norwood Green (Lab)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as an ex-governor of the BBC. I echo the view that was expressed about Gary Lineker and his salary. He is like many people who have been in that position in the past and who believe that they are irreplaceable. Your Lordships will remember that Jeremy Clarkson and the “Top Gear” team thought that they were irreplaceable; needless to say, “Top Gear” thrives just as successfully without them. I have conveyed in writing to the director-general my advice to get rid of the old boys’ club of Lineker, Shearer and Wright, and replace it with at least one or two women, which we could probably do for half the price, and they would do twice as good a job.

[Baroness Chakrabarti (Lab)]

Half the price?

[Lord Young of Norwood Green (Lab)]

If the noble Baroness could just pause to hear the end of my contribution, I do not believe that we should be paying those kinds of prices for presenters. If the BBC did this—