The BBC has contracted to pay at least £15m over three years to TV and radio celebrity Jonathan Ross. This news comes as the state broadcaster is lobbying for a licence fee increase of 2.3 per cent above inflation for ten years.
To raise the money to pay fees such as this, the BBC already takes £3bn annually from TV owners. It is illegal to watch any TV in Britain without permission (known as a licence) from the Corporation, for which it charges £131 annually. Threatening letters are sent to households that do not have a licence, followed by visits from BBC investigators trying to interview the householder “under caution” (a police term used when interviewing suspects in a crime).