Our reporters hit the streets to talk to the public in our major cities across the UK about the news making the headlines this week. In this episode, we look at a proposed rise in the BBC licence fee, advent calendars and Christmas songs that drive you crackers
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:11 Welcome to The Verdict on the Street,
00:13 the show that listens to its audience.
00:17 We're going to take some of the hottest topics
00:19 out onto the streets of Britain to ask you
00:21 what you think of them.
00:24 In a world that seems full of experts,
00:26 sometimes it's the opinions of the people on the street
00:29 that really matter.
00:30 So, great British public, it's over to you.
00:34 We send our reporters out into a number of cities across the UK,
00:38 armed only with a camera and a microphone
00:40 to ask simply, what do you think?
00:42 These are the questions for this week's show.
00:50 After the BBC announced it wanted
00:51 a hike in the licence fee, is it still worth the money?
00:55 How old is too old to have an advent calendar?
00:59 And what festive song on repeat is driving you
01:01 Christmas crackers?
01:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:07 So let's kick off then with the news
01:08 that the BBC has asked the government for a £15 rise
01:12 in the cost of the licence fee.
01:16 Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser, however,
01:18 has said that that amount would be absolutely too much.
01:21 And Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the BBC
01:24 it should be realistic about what
01:26 it can expect people to pay.
01:29 The BBC, on the other hand, would point to the fact
01:31 that the fee has been frozen for the last two years
01:34 and is due to rise in April in line with inflation.
01:38 But it's also raised questions on how the BBC should
01:41 be funded going forward.
01:44 With the media landscape changing and the fact
01:47 that 400,000 people didn't renew over the last year,
01:50 is it now time for a change?
01:53 Do you think the BBC is worth the money?
01:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:01 The BBC are looking to up the licence fee.
02:05 Is that something you think is worth it at all?
02:07 No.
02:08 Not really.
02:09 No.
02:10 Because we pay for Sky, which is a few pound on the show.
02:15 I don't think the BBC is worth it.
02:18 No.
02:19 To me, I think the BBC has gone now is this more Tory
02:25 propaganda.
02:26 I think it's inevitable.
02:28 And I actually think the BBC are quite good value for money.
02:32 But it's going to hit the people that can't afford it less,
02:36 the more, you know.
02:38 So pensioners and people like that, you know,
02:42 that haven't got a lot of income.
02:44 So that's not very good.
02:46 It should be means tested, maybe.
02:48 When people like Gary Lineker and Graham Norton
02:51 get an extortionate amount of money,
02:53 and then OAPs can't get a free licence fee now, no.
02:56 It's ridiculous.
02:57 They don't deserve anything.
02:59 So what is being proposed?
03:01 The BBC licence fee has been frozen for the last two years
03:04 at £159.
03:06 But the corporation wants this to rise by 9%,
03:09 equating to around an extra £15 annually,
03:13 to an expected £173.30.
03:17 Culture Minister Lucy Fraser said the government
03:19 is reviewing the planned cost hike,
03:20 as worries around further strain on household finances mount.
03:23 They don't watch terrestrial TV.
03:25 And they kind of like, they do the other options.
03:29 So I think the licence itself is probably a dying breed.
03:32 So I'm not sure that they actually deserve it.
03:35 I don't use the BBC at all.
03:38 It's become a shameful propaganda mouthpiece.
03:45 I don't think the content on there is valuable.
03:47 It doesn't resonate with my life or my family's life at all.
03:50 And something I don't miss is not watching TV.
03:53 I haven't had a licence, I haven't had a TV licence
03:55 in about 13 years.
03:59 It's disgusting, putting everything up,
04:00 especially just staying the way it's happening now.
04:03 Everyone's struggling with all kinds, food, money, heating.
04:08 And they want to put the licence fee up.
04:11 Although I do watch the BBC.
04:13 BBC, brilliant.
04:14 Where would we be without them?
04:16 Covid, you know, they sorted out the education
04:18 for all the children.
04:19 The government couldn't do it.
04:21 The BBC did it.
04:22 I would like to see more funding for regional BBC.
04:30 I think it's only over 75 seats to have it free,
04:32 and now they have to pay for it.
04:34 I think that they shouldn't have to pay for it at all.
04:37 And I think I'd rather pay a bit more
04:39 so that they don't have to pay.
04:40 The news comes as the BBC plan other cost-saving measures
04:43 across its output, with Newsnight dropping down
04:46 to a 30-minute runtime and a reduction in TV packaging,
04:49 and an upscaling of digital output instead also planned.
04:52 A spokesperson said the BBC will continue
04:55 to focus on what it does best, working
04:57 to deliver world-class content and providing
04:59 great value for all audiences.
05:01 It's that time of year again when
05:08 the children get up nice and early to run downstairs
05:11 and open the door of their advent calendar.
05:14 But these days, it's not just for children.
05:16 There's ones for babies, ones for pets,
05:17 and now the adults are getting lucky with gifts
05:20 hiding behind the doors, like makeup, alcohol, tea,
05:23 and even hot sauce.
05:26 So how old is too old?
05:29 Absolutely.
05:30 Yeah.
05:31 Absolutely.
05:31 My mum brought us an advent calendar this year,
05:33 so we're ready and waiting to go.
05:36 Do you think that's something you should carry on
05:38 through all through your life then?
05:40 Absolutely.
05:41 Yeah.
05:41 It definitely makes the mornings easier in December.
05:47 Yeah.
05:48 Wouldn't say no to chocolate.
05:49 Yeah.
05:50 What advent calendars have you got?
05:52 I've got a chocolate one this year, a nice hotel chocolate
05:54 one from my mum.
05:56 No, for my daughter, yeah.
05:58 So my daughter, she's got one.
06:00 But she doesn't know what's going on.
06:02 She's just opening any box that's closest to her hands.
06:07 Yeah.
06:07 But she likes it.
06:08 I mainly celebrate for her now.
06:10 Do you think that adults can enjoy an advent calendar as a
06:13 much?
06:14 100%.
06:14 I think a quirky one, though, an adult one, or maybe,
06:18 I don't know, an advent calendar,
06:20 each day has got a shot in, something more than chocolate,
06:24 something, a message, or a--
06:27 I don't know, something that's more adult-themed, 100%.
06:30 To the point where I want to look online to see if they've
06:32 got one now, because, yeah.
06:34 Actually, last year, I bought myself one.
06:36 It was a chocolate one made by a very special pupil of mine.
06:42 I used to teach her when she was very little.
06:45 And she did a fantastic advent calendar.
06:49 It was amazing.
06:51 Not something everyone could afford, but it was delicious.
06:56 Otherwise, that's the first time I've ever had one, I
06:58 think, yeah.
07:00 I think the little ones have them.
07:03 And I think I had to buy that myself, because there was no
07:06 interactive buy it, yeah.
07:08 We usually do.
07:10 I'm not sure we've actually got it yet.
07:12 I can't remember whether my wife's bought it yet, but we
07:14 always do, yes.
07:15 Quite often, we buy one with the serenade on it, but my
07:19 wife also has one which is made of fabric with pockets in
07:23 it, where she puts chocolates in the fabric.
07:25 So it's the same one every year, just with different
07:28 chocolate or whatever in it.
07:30 That's a nice one.
07:30 Which is nice.
07:31 Advent calendars are fun, aren't they?
07:32 They should be carried on through adulthood and all the
07:35 way through.
07:36 And that's a tradition that's been there since the kids were
07:39 small, so we just carry it on.
07:41 It becomes part of what you do at Christmas.
07:44 I haven't got one.
07:44 I need to buy one.
07:45 I need to buy one for my little brother as well.
07:48 I do need to get one.
07:49 I do have one every year, but I usually eat it on the first
07:52 day, though.
07:53 I got you.
07:54 I got you.
07:54 I got it out for you.
07:55 Christmas spirit, innit?
07:57 But yeah, and my stocking on Christmas morning, I still
07:59 have those.
08:01 I think it's my last year where I'm getting all the
08:03 stockings and Advent calendars now as you grow.
08:05 As you grow up a little bit.
08:06 It goes.
08:07 But yeah.
08:08 Don't think you can ever have Advent calendars?
08:09 No, you can, but--
08:11 I don't know.
08:12 It's more for someone when you're younger, innit?
08:15 It's like a trick.
08:16 And you wake up and you're a child and you're like, oh, my
08:18 chocolate every morning.
08:20 Yeah.
08:21 I've got a pet one.
08:22 She's got a gym one.
08:24 I've got one from Cat Protection.
08:26 Yeah, I've got a gym one.
08:29 It's from adults.
08:30 Yeah, of course it is.
08:31 It's adulting.
08:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:36 It's Christmas, shouts Noddy Holder this time every year.
08:41 On the radio and in the shops, there's just no escape.
08:44 So what's the one that you love to hate?
08:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:50 What is the most annoying Christmas song ever?
08:54 God, Why Christmas.
08:55 I don't like Why Christmas.
08:56 No.
08:57 It's annoying.
08:58 I don't like it.
08:59 Is that because it never snows?
09:01 Probably, yeah.
09:01 But I don't like it.
09:03 So annoying Christmas songs.
09:06 Definitely Slade.
09:08 So here it is, Merry Christmas.
09:10 You can't go into a shop without hearing it.
09:15 I mean, they must have been on all sorts
09:17 when they recorded that.
09:18 It was that bad.
09:19 It was good at one point.
09:21 Mariah Carey.
09:23 Oh, it's so annoying.
09:24 It's almost as bad as Slade.
09:25 But I think it's Mariah Carey takes number one slot.
09:29 When it comes to Christmas songs,
09:30 we all have our favorites.
09:31 And we all have the ones we just can't stand.
09:34 It might differ from person to person.
09:36 But there's some consensus to be had on the best,
09:38 according to Smooth Radio's ranking of all the more than 70
09:42 Christmas number ones so far, that is.
09:44 Their top three included Slade's Merry X-mas Everybody
09:47 with the bronze medal, Band Aid Do They
09:49 Know It's Christmas in second place,
09:51 and Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens,
09:53 taking the crown.
09:55 Is there a Christmas song that you
09:56 find particularly irritating?
10:00 Is there one that drives you a bit crazy
10:01 when you listen to it?
10:01 Not particularly.
10:02 But I would say about 80% of them, yeah.
10:06 Oh, I don't think you can hear too much of any of them,
10:08 really.
10:09 No, they're all pretty good, aren't they?
10:10 They're all familiar and remind you of lovely Christmases,
10:12 don't they?
10:13 Shakin' Stevens, yeah.
10:14 He was good.
10:15 Yeah, very, very shaky.
10:17 I think if it starts--
10:19 I mean, you know what it's like in the supermarkets and stuff.
10:21 The Christmas decorations come out in like September,
10:24 October time.
10:24 And it's like, I think it's way too soon.
10:27 And Christmas songs should be December only.
10:30 Sorry, I do apologize.
10:32 Really annoying.
10:33 Yeah.
10:34 You like all of them?
10:35 Yeah, you've got what you call--
10:38 the only dog you want, I think, is Jonah Louis.
10:41 I wish I was that old for Christmas.
10:45 [LAUGHS]
10:48 That does get a lot of views.
10:49 [HUMMING "JINGLE BELLS"]
10:53 That one.
10:54 [LAUGHS]
10:56 Ariana Grande, Santa, whatever it's called.
10:59 Santa, tell me, bro.
11:01 Dead.
11:01 I like that one.
11:02 It's overused.
11:03 It's overplayed.
11:05 Overplayed every year, same on repeat.
11:07 It's annoying.
11:08 All of them.
11:09 I hate all the Christmas films, all the Christmas songs.
11:12 It's annoying and boring.
11:15 Very, very boring.
11:17 Every shop-- you know what I mean?
11:18 It's just nonsense.
11:20 You know, they make a mockery of Christmas with that stuff,
11:22 really.
11:24 Do you Christmas music burnout at the end
11:26 of the festive season?
11:28 No, I don't think I get burnouts.
11:29 I must say, I don't.
11:30 No, I like music whenever.
11:32 Yeah, yeah.
11:33 No, I think we should have it.
11:35 We should have music, whether I like it or not.
11:37 No, we should have it.
11:38 I think they start November, to be fair.
11:41 And I would happily sing them until September.
11:44 Let Halloween people have their thing.
11:45 Let Halloween people have one month.
11:48 The rest should be Christmas.
11:50 The rest is all Christmas.
11:50 I like that.
11:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:55 [MUSIC ENDS]
11:58 (upbeat music)