Previous Committee inquiry: British film & high-end tv

The new inquiry will build on the successes of the last. It will continue to examine the attractiveness of the UK as a global destination for production and what more could be done  to ensure it has the skilled workforce it needs. It will also look at the ethical use of artificial intelligence in film-making and probe the work of the BFI and the Government’s vision for the sector.

The World Service broadcasts in 42 languages, including English, reaching an estimated 320 million people globally each week. Most of the World Service’s global audience access the World Service in its local language. BBC World Service is funded primarily from the UK licence fee alongside additional funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The recent Budget announcement included extra funds for the World Service, from the FCDO budget, but only for the financial year 2025-26. BBC Director General Tim Davie has argued that funding for the World Service should be the responsibility of central Government, as it used to be before 2014.

The Committee’s inquiry will look at the services the World Service provides, how it is paid for, the challenges it faces operating around the world, and the pressures funding the World Service from the licence fee places on other BBC services.

The inquiry will run parallel to another inquiry on the World Service from the Foreign Affairs Committee.