There are lots of bad things about the BBC - it never supports its own (stars or staff), it has no backbone (it's too big), it gets very lazy and corporate - but when you watch programmes like the Giant Squid (last night on BBC2) you see how superb it still is.

And you look at those trying to destroy it (for purely economic reasons) like News Corp and the Mail, and observe their total lack of morality and responsibility, and you can see how essential it is we save the BBC for the next generations.

The basic premise of US owning it is both the key plus and the worst minus.

Hear! Hear!

absolutely but Rupert has turned his attention upon the ABC , the Oz government network now that he probably will have to flee to his Canberra farm.

Since it began the ABC has always purchased BBC dramas, comedies etc etc for advert free broadcasting and suddenly the BBC this year did a deal to cut them out and sell to Murdoch's cable channel.