The BBC has no more wish to condone or cover up paedophilia than anyone else and to suggest otherwise is an affront to common sense. They simply need to do things lawfully and not act on unsubstantiated allegations. They, quite rightly, have paused their own investigations whilst the police carry out theirs. There is a right way to handle such matters, and that requires due process to be followed. If condemnation is due then it will be heard loud and clear, but at the appropriate time.

How the BBC is funded is a completely separate issue, or certainly ought to be. I think it would be an enormous mistake to change the basis and force the BBC to become commercially based. It would destroy its ability to remain impartial and open the door not only to political influence but that of commercial interests and advertisers. There is already far too much of that in the media and we need the BBC to remain free of it.

I don't detect any general clamour to defund the BBC. I see some in the right-wing press and from the right of the Tory party, both of whom think they would benefit from emasculating the BBC. Thankfully I don't think there is any chance of it happening.

Rather than look at petitions and campaigns to defund the BBC it is probably more pertinent to look at the figures of people no longer paying the licence.

Each year this number increases by hundreds of thousands mainly because young people tend not to watch TV in the traditional sense so may not even have a TV as they watch on their tablet / phone etc.

And of course the BBC 's core support is decreasing as this is elderly and dying off.

If the rate of non payment continues at some point there will be a tipping point like the poll tax, the BBC is aware of this which is why it is keen on replacing the licence fee with an alternate tax that people can't dodge for example including it in their broadband bill.